Public · Community college

Southwestern Community College

Sylva, North Carolina · Distant town

6%
Transfer rate: $5,207
Avg net price: 53%
Grad / completion: $34,145
Median earnings

Southwestern Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Sylva, North Carolina (distant town setting), enrolling 1,249 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,249 undergradsDistant townCold winters

About Sylva, North Carolina

Sylva is an incorporated town located in central Jackson County, in the Plott Balsam Mountains of Western North Carolina, United States. Subsequently, Webster declined, as the railroad had not established a stop there. Many businesses followed the court and railroad to Sylva. The Jackson County Courthouse was constructed in 1914 and is located on a hill at the end of Main Street in downtown Sylva. The train wreck scene in The Fugitive was filmed 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Sylva in the town of Dillsboro. The scene of Harrison Ford walking on railroad tracks in an old tunnel was also close by in Cowee Tunnel. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 41 miles to Asheville, NC
To the ocean: 236 miles
Nearest airport: 38 miles to Asheville (AVL)

How Southwestern Community College compares

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 40% · #32 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention75%

Higher than 54%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,145

Higher than 46% · #35 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$5,207

Cheaper than 90% · #26 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 82%

Undergraduate enrollment1,249

Larger than 75%

Percentiles compare Southwestern 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

Women78163%
Men46837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White73%
Black1.8%
Hispanic12%
Asian0.9%
Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,249
Student–faculty ratio: 10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 36%
First-generation students: 44%
Students over 25: 26%
Median family income: $21,372
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $58,131
Endowment: $7,084,350

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $4,112
Out-of-state tuition: $13,184
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $2,232
Total cost of attendance: $15,856
Average net price: $5,207

Outcomes

Graduated: 53%
First-year retention: 75%
Transferred to another college: 6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $31,660
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $34,145
Median debt at graduation: $10,500
Students with federal loans: 5%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 35%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

53%

Low-income (Pell)

28%

First-generation

28%

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 2

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.7reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

0.3

Arson

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

$4,982

$30–48k

$4,423

$48–75k

$6,494

$75–110k

$7,592

$110k+

—

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.

16%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,432

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 16% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,432. 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 44 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): $34,145
Typical debt at graduation: $10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay: 31%
Out-earn a HS grad: 38%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 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

$31,206

Men

$37,161

Men out-earn women by $5,955 (19%) 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: 26°F
Annual rain: 54.2″
Annual snow: 4.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cullowhee, NC US station (3.1 mi from campus).

What Southwestern Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

126 grads$26k 1 yr$42k 5 yr$9k debt

126$25,973$42,457$8,500 Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

103 grads$31k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

103$30,899——Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

41 grads$31k 1 yr$39k 5 yr$16k debt

41$31,162$38,549$16,312 Legal Support ServicesCert.

39 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

39———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

39 grads$48k 1 yr$52k 5 yr$10k debt

39$48,233$51,696$10,408 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

29 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

29———Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

27 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

27———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

26 grads— 1 yr$36k 5 yr— debt

26—$36,394—Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

25 grads$62k 1 yr$73k 5 yr$15k debt

25$61,931$72,733$14,617 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

23 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23———Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

20 grads$14k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20$14,354——

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 Southwestern Community College

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

Surry Community College

Public

Dobson, North Carolina · Distant rural · 33 mi to Winston-Salem

Students: 1,475
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 33%
Earnings: $36k

Western Piedmont Community College

Public

Morganton, North Carolina · Small city · 49 mi to Asheville

Students: 1,339
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 23%
Earnings: $34k

Lenoir Community College

Public

Kinston, North Carolina · Distant town · 71 mi to Raleigh

Students: 1,469
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 22%
Earnings: $34k

Stanly Community College

Public

Albemarle, North Carolina · Distant town · 35 mi to Charlotte

Students: 1,465
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $37k

Beaufort County Community College

Public

Washington, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 95 mi to Raleigh

Students: 1,074
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $33k

Blue Ridge Community College

Public

Flat Rock, North Carolina · Large suburb · 21 mi to Asheville

Students: 1,758
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $36k

Colleges near Southwestern Community College

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 10,024 students

3 mi

Haywood Community College

Clyde, NC · Public · Associate · 849 students

20 mi

Brevard College

Brevard, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 815 students

28 mi

Carolina College of Hair Design Inc

Asheville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 46 students

38 mi

Galen Health Institutes-Asheville

Asheville, NC · Private for-profit · Associate · 253 students

38 mi

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

Asheville, NC · Public · Certificate · 5,110 students

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Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts

Asheville, NC · Private for-profit · Graduate

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University of North Carolina Asheville

Asheville, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 2,910 students

41 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.