Private for-profit · Community college
South College
Knoxville, Tennessee · Midsize city
- 21%
- Transfer rate
- $17,858
- Avg net price
- 42%
- Grad / completion
- $36,642
- Median earnings
South College is a private for-profit associate-granting institution in Knoxville, Tennessee (midsize city setting), enrolling 8,745 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. One of the oldest artificial structures in Knoxville is a burial mound constructed during the early Mississippian culture period (c. 1000–1400 A.D.). The earthwork mound was preserved, but the University of Tennessee campus developed around it. Knoxville is home to a rich arts community and has many festivals throughout the year. Its contributions to old-time, bluegrass and country music are numerous, from Flatt and Scruggs and Homer and Jethro to The Everly Brothers. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 3 miles to Knoxville, TN
- To the ocean
- 296 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to McGhee Tyson (TYS) · major hub
How South College compares
Higher than 28% · #62 of 81 in Tennessee
Higher than 13%
Higher than 55% · #29 of 70 in Tennessee
Cheaper than 40% · #55 cheapest of 82 in Tennessee
Lower than 8%
Lower than 12%
Larger than 95%
Percentiles compare South College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Tennessee.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate8,74576%
- Graduate2,77524%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women6,82478%
- Men1,92122%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White41%
- Black43%
- Hispanic1.7%
- Asian1.5%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 8,745
- Graduate enrollment
- 2,775
- Student–faculty ratio
- 25 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 49%
- First-generation students
- 47%
- Students over 25
- 61%
- Median family income
- $22,714
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $78,750
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $18,535
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $30,954
- Average net price
- $17,858
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 42%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 50%
- First-year retention
- 52%
- Transferred to another college
- 21%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,570
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $36,642
- Median debt at graduation
- $18,668
- Students with federal loans
- 62%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 25%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- $50
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 8 campuses (11,557 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$18,964/year × about 4.0 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 58% — get grant money from South College itself, averaging $10,424, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 510 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $36,642
- Typical debt at graduation
- $18,668
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 51%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 44%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $12,468 (36%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 26°F
- Annual rain
- 55.8″
- Annual snow
- 4.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Knoxville Exp Stn, TN US station (4.2 mi from campus).
What South College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to South College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare South College side by side →
Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee · Midsize city · 7 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 4,462
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $31k
Rasmussen University-Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota · Small city · 60 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 8,617
- Tuition
- $11k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $39k
SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 1 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 1,712
- Tuition
- $18k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $40k
Monroe University
Bronx, New York · Large city · 12 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,701
- Tuition
- $18k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $41k
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder
Boulder, Colorado · Midsize city · 22 mi to Denver
- Students
- 8,504
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 1%
- Earnings
- $32k
ECPI University
Virginia Beach, Virginia · Large city · 6 mi to Norfolk
- Students
- 12,090
- Tuition
- $18k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near South College
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public · Certificate · 887 students
Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc
Knoxville, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 323 students
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public · Bachelor's · 30,418 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 75 students
Pellissippi State Community College
Knoxville, TN · Public · Associate · 6,715 students
Johnson University
Knoxville, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 743 students
Maryville College
Maryville, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,005 students
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jacksboro
Jacksboro, TN · Public · Certificate · 231 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.











