Public · Community college

Southern Union State Community College

Wadley, Alabama · Remote rural

30%
Transfer rate
$6,142
Avg net price
36%
Grad / completion
$36,597
Median earnings

Southern Union State Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Wadley, Alabama (remote rural setting), enrolling 4,173 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,173 undergradsRemote ruralNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Wadley, Alabama

Wadley is a town in Randolph County, Alabama, United States. It is home to the Wadley campus of Southern Union State Community College. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
57 miles to Columbus, GA
To the ocean
185 miles
Nearest airport
56 miles to Columbus (CSG)

How Southern Union State Community College compares

Graduation rate36%

Higher than 20% · #28 of 41 in Alabama

First-year retention67%

Higher than 39%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,597

Higher than 55% · #8 of 33 in Alabama

Average net price$6,142

Cheaper than 86% · #12 cheapest of 38 in Alabama

Median debt at graduation$11,000

Lower than 36%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment4,173

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare Southern Union 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 Alabama.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

4,173undergrads
  • Women2,48560%
  • Men1,68840%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White67%
  • Black20%
  • Hispanic5.6%
  • Asian1.4%
  • Other or multiracial6.1%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,173
Student–faculty ratio
21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$23,096
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,115

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 1,339 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Alabama92%
  • Other U.S. states7.5%

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

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
$5,040
Out-of-state tuition
$8,910
Room & board
$6,000
Books & supplies
$1,700
Total cost of attendance
$13,637
Average net price
$6,142

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
36%
First-year retention
67%
Transferred to another college
30%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$32,844
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$36,597
Median debt at graduation
$11,000
Students with federal loans
22%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
33%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
11%
First-generation
12%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
460
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
11%
Housing charge (year)
$1,300
Meal plan (year)
$2,300
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
216 (113 men · 103 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (7)

Soccer69
Baseball40
Basketball37
Softball25
Volleyball17
Golf14
Cross Country14

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (5,063 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Burglary
0.3

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.

< $30k
$3,543
$30–48k
$5,160
$48–75k
$7,173
$75–110k
$10,247
$110k+
$10,953

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.

36%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,811
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 36% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,811. 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 1,043 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)
$36,597
Typical debt at graduation
$11,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
30%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.0 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
$31,427
Men
$45,826

Men out-earn women by $14,399 (46%) 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
89°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
53″
Annual snow
1.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rock Mills, AL US station (16.4 mi from campus).

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 Union State Community College

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

Colleges near Southern Union State Community College

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.