Public · Community college
Tri-County Community College
Murphy, North Carolina · Remote rural
- 10%
- Transfer rate
- $7,799
- Avg net price
- 54%
- Grad / completion
- $32,232
- Median earnings
Tri-County Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Murphy, North Carolina (remote rural setting), enrolling 472 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Murphy, North Carolina
Murphy is a town in and the county seat of Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. The economy of Murphy is fairly spread out, with a quarter of the population employed in the management and professional sector; about one fifth of the population are employed in either sales/office or construction, maintenance and extraction sectors. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 62 miles to Knoxville, TN
- To the ocean
- 250 miles
- Nearest airport
- 51 miles to McGhee Tyson (TYS) · major hub
How Tri-County Community College compares
Higher than 41% · #30 of 90 in North Carolina
Higher than 57%
Higher than 39% · #55 of 84 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 79% · #43 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina
Lower than 67%
Larger than 61%
Percentiles compare Tri-County 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
- Women26857%
- Men20443%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White82%
- Black2.5%
- Hispanic5.9%
- Asian1.1%
- Other or multiracial8.5%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 472
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 29%
- First-generation students
- 46%
- Students over 25
- 20%
- Median family income
- $20,534
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $49,806
- Endowment
- $300,784
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 96 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From North Carolina93%
- Other U.S. states6.9%
Most first-years stay in state — Tri-County 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
- $2,636
- Out-of-state tuition
- $8,780
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,470
- Total cost of attendance
- $18,830
- Average net price
- $7,799
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
- 54%
- First-year retention
- 76%
- Transferred to another college
- 10%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $27,374
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $32,232
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 25%
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
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,023 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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,200. 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 50 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)
- $32,232
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 32%
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 $9,209 (32%) 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
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 25°F
- Annual rain
- 59.3″
- Annual snow
- 4.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Murphy 4Ese, NC US station (0.3 mi from campus).
What Tri-County 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 Tri-County Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Tri-County Community College side by side →
McDowell Technical Community College
Marion, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 33 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 608
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $33k
Halifax Community College
Weldon, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 72 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 723
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $32k
Mayland Community College
Spruce Pine, North Carolina · Distant rural · 38 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 362
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $35k
Southeastern Community College
Whiteville, North Carolina · Distant rural · 45 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 820
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 26%
- Earnings
- $30k
Haywood Community College
Clyde, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 22 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 849
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $35k
Beaufort County Community College
Washington, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 95 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 1,074
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
Colleges near Tri-County Community College
Young Harris College
Young Harris, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 755 students
Truett McConnell University
Cleveland, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 744 students
University of North Georgia
Dahlonega, GA · Public · Bachelor's · 16,146 students
North Georgia Technical College
Clarkesville, GA · Public · Certificate · 1,910 students
Piedmont University
Demorest, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,117 students
Tennessee Wesleyan University
Athens, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 846 students
TCAT Athens
Athens, TN · Public · Certificate · 205 students
Sweetwater Institute of Cosmetology
Sweetwater, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 22 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.