Public · Community college
Volunteer State Community College
Gallatin, Tennessee · Large suburb
- 14%
- Transfer rate
- $7,802
- Avg net price
- 28%
- Grad / completion
- $41,150
- Median earnings
Volunteer State Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Gallatin, Tennessee (large suburb setting), enrolling 5,339 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. Gallatin was established in 1802 as the permanent county seat of Sumner County, in what is called the Middle Tennessee region of the state. The town was named after Albert Gallatin, Secretary of Treasury to Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Gallatin has a modern 10-screen movie theater, NCG Gallatin Cinema. It has a completely restored single-screen theater, called The Palace, built in 1908. There is also a public city library. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 21 miles to Nashville, TN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 366 miles
- Nearest airport
- 19 miles to Nashville (BNA) · major hub
How Volunteer State Community College compares
Higher than 10% · #76 of 81 in Tennessee
Higher than 12%
Higher than 73% · #6 of 70 in Tennessee
Cheaper than 79% · #17 cheapest of 82 in Tennessee
Lower than 79%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 92%
Percentiles compare Volunteer 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 Tennessee.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women3,31662%
- Men2,02338%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White69%
- Black11%
- Hispanic12%
- Asian1.5%
- Other or multiracial6.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,339
- Student–faculty ratio
- 19 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 33%
- First-generation students
- 46%
- Students over 25
- 25%
- Median family income
- $25,592
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $69,786
- Endowment
- $8,447,268
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 1,728 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Tennessee99%
- Other U.S. states0.6%
Most first-years stay in state — Volunteer State Community College draws overwhelmingly from Tennessee.
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
- $4,756
- Out-of-state tuition
- $17,740
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,470
- Total cost of attendance
- $16,401
- Average net price
- $7,802
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
- 28%
- First-year retention
- 51%
- Transferred to another college
- 14%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,045
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $41,150
- Median debt at graduation
- $7,550
- Students with federal loans
- 5%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 44%
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
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 90 (55 men · 35 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 (3)
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
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (6,963 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 $2,942. 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 1,442 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)
- $41,150
- Typical debt at graduation
- $7,550
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 18%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 50%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $9,762 (26%) 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
- 28°F
- Annual rain
- 54.9″
- Annual snow
- 4.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Old Hickory Wfo, TN US station (8.8 mi from campus).
What Volunteer State 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 Volunteer State Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Volunteer State Community College side by side →
Nashville State Community College
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 5 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 5,653
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $39k
Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga, Tennessee · Midsize city · 6 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 5,284
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $38k
Pellissippi State Community College
Knoxville, Tennessee · Large suburb · 14 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 6,715
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 22%
- Earnings
- $38k
Columbia State Community College
Columbia, Tennessee · Fringe town · 42 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 3,897
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $40k
Walters State Community College
Morristown, Tennessee · Small city · 41 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 3,591
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $37k
Northeast State Community College
Blountville, Tennessee · Fringe rural · 62 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 4,404
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $35k
Colleges near Volunteer State Community College
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Genesis Career College-Lebanon
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Cumberland University
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Nossi College of Art and Design
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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.