Public · Community college

Southern State Community College

Hillsboro, Ohio · Distant town

13%
Transfer rate: $9,674
Avg net price: 37%
Grad / completion: $35,463
Median earnings

Southern State Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Hillsboro, Ohio (distant town setting), enrolling 761 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 761 undergradsDistant townOtherCold winters

About Hillsboro, Ohio

Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Highland County, Ohio, United States, approximately 35 miles (56 km) west of Chillicothe and 50 miles (80 km) east of Cincinnati. Hillsboro was platted in 1807, and most likely named for the hills near the original town site. Since 1976 the city hosts the "Festival of the Bells" during the fourth of July weekend. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 47 miles to Dayton, OH
To Great Lakes shore: 156 miles
Nearest airport: 44 miles to Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field (LUK)

How Southern State Community College compares

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 22% · #134 of 168 in Ohio

First-year retention64%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$35,463

Higher than 51% · #93 of 157 in Ohio

Average net price$9,674

Cheaper than 71% · #33 cheapest of 155 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$11,457

Lower than 33%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 29%

Undergraduate enrollment761

Larger than 69%

Percentiles compare Southern State 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 Ohio.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women50366%
Men25834%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White90%
Black3.7%
Hispanic1.8%
Other or multiracial4.5%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 761
Student–faculty ratio: 20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 22%
First-generation students: 52%
Students over 25: 16%
Median family income: $25,687
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $59,265
Endowment: $3,757,017

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 213 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Ohio100%
Other U.S. states0.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Southern State Community College draws overwhelmingly from Ohio.

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: $5,912
Out-of-state tuition: $10,818
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,632
Total cost of attendance: $15,244
Average net price: $9,674

Outcomes

Graduated: 37%
First-year retention: 64%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $32,851
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $35,463
Median debt at graduation: $11,457
Students with federal loans: 13%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 25%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

37%

Low-income (Pell)

20%

First-generation

21%

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
Athletics: Other
Varsity athletes: 23 (21 men · 2 women)

Varsity sports (1)

Other Sports23

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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.

< $30k

$8,099

$30–48k

$7,950

$48–75k

$10,926

$75–110k

$13,478

$110k+

$10,805

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?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

35%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,417

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 35% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,417. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 114 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): $35,463
Typical debt at graduation: $11,457
Debt vs. one year's pay: 32%
Out-earn a HS grad: 38%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women

$31,234

Men

$45,021

Men out-earn women by $13,787 (44%) 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: 85°F
Winter low: 19°F
Annual rain: 46.7″
Annual snow: 18.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hillsboro, OH US station (0.4 mi from campus).

What Southern State Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

117 grads$29k 1 yr$36k 5 yr$11k debt

117$29,137$35,957$10,993 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

42 grads$62k 1 yr$68k 5 yr$18k debt

42$62,085$68,288$18,490 Real EstateCert.

40 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

40———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

10 grads— 1 yr$60k 5 yr$16k debt

10—$60,045$16,364 Computer Systems AnalysisAssoc.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr$40k 5 yr— debt

7—$39,637—Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———

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 Southern State Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern State Community College side by side →

Zane State College

Public

Zanesville, Ohio · Distant town · 51 mi to Columbus

Students: 715
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $35k

Belmont College

Public

St Clairsville, Ohio · Fringe rural · 57 mi to Pittsburgh

Students: 600
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 4%
Earnings: $35k

Washington State College of Ohio

Public

Marietta, Ohio · Fringe town · 75 mi to Charleston

Students: 1,484
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $38k

Hocking College

Public

Nelsonville, Ohio · Fringe rural · 55 mi to Columbus

Students: 1,311
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $38k

Northwest State Community College

Public

Archbold, Ohio · Distant rural · 42 mi to Toledo

Students: 1,115
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $40k

Polaris Career Center

Public

Middleburg Heights, Ohio · Large suburb · 12 mi to Cleveland

Students: 300
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $39k

Colleges near Southern State Community College

Wilmington College

Wilmington, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,006 students

18 mi

Brown & Clermont Adult Career Campuses

Bethel, OH · Public · Certificate · 101 students

32 mi

University of Cincinnati-Clermont College

Batavia, OH · Public · Associate · 3,019 students

33 mi

Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus

Chillicothe, OH · Public · Associate · 833 students

33 mi

Greene County Career Center

Xenia, OH · Public · Certificate · 12 students

34 mi

Pickaway Ross Joint Vocational School District

Chillicothe, OH · Public · Certificate · 145 students

34 mi

Dental Assistant Pro-Lebanon

Lebanon, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 20 students

34 mi

Hair Academy

Chillicothe, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 38 students

35 mi

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.