Public · Community college
South Piedmont Community College
Polkton, North Carolina · Distant rural
- 15%
- Transfer rate
- $6,675
- Avg net price
- 38%
- Grad / completion
- $37,308
- Median earnings
South Piedmont Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Polkton, North Carolina (distant rural setting), enrolling 1,833 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Polkton, North Carolina
Polkton is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. Polkton was founded by Leonidas Lafayette Polk, and incorporated in 1875. The Billy Horne Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 39 miles to Charlotte, NC
- To the ocean
- 118 miles
- Nearest airport
- 39 miles to Concord-Padgett (USA)
How South Piedmont Community College compares
Higher than 23% · #61 of 90 in North Carolina
Higher than 18%
Higher than 58% · #11 of 84 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 84% · #37 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina
Lower than 35%
Larger than 81%
Percentiles compare South Piedmont Community 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 North Carolina.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,29270%
- Men54130%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White47%
- Black22%
- Hispanic21%
- Asian2.1%
- Other or multiracial8.6%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,833
- Student–faculty ratio
- 19 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 17%
- First-generation students
- 47%
- Students over 25
- 14%
- Median family income
- $19,638
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $57,006
- Endowment
- $3,342,463
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 445 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From North Carolina99%
- Other U.S. states0.9%
Most first-years stay in state — South Piedmont Community College draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $2,022
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,630
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,400
- Total cost of attendance
- $16,111
- Average net price
- $6,675
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
- 38%
- First-year retention
- 57%
- Transferred to another college
- 15%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,212
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $37,308
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
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
- Free
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
- 0.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (4,013 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.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
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.
Does the school pay you to attend?
South Piedmont Community College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $37,308
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 35%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
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 $9,231 (27%) 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
- 91°F
- Winter low
- 32°F
- Annual rain
- 47.8″
- Annual snow
- 3.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wadesboro, NC US station (8.1 mi from campus).
What South Piedmont Community 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 Piedmont Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare South Piedmont Community College side by side →
Blue Ridge Community College
Flat Rock, North Carolina · Large suburb · 21 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 1,758
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $36k
Stanly Community College
Albemarle, North Carolina · Distant town · 35 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 1,465
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $37k
Western Piedmont Community College
Morganton, North Carolina · Small city · 49 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 1,339
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 23%
- Earnings
- $34k
Surry Community College
Dobson, North Carolina · Distant rural · 33 mi to Winston-Salem
- Students
- 1,475
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 33%
- Earnings
- $36k
Davidson-Davie Community College
Thomasville, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 17 mi to Winston-Salem
- Students
- 2,633
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $36k
Mitchell Community College
Statesville, North Carolina · Fringe town · 39 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 1,948
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $33k
Colleges near South Piedmont Community College
Wingate University
Wingate, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,668 students
Stanly Community College
Albemarle, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,465 students
Northeastern Technical College
Cheraw, SC · Public · Certificate · 921 students
Richmond Community College
Hamlet, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,352 students
Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary
Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · Associate · 24 students
Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 344 students
Montgomery Community College
Troy, NC · Public · Certificate · 852 students
Pfeiffer University
Misenheimer, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 655 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.









