Public · Community college

Walters State Community College

Morristown, Tennessee · Small city

11%
Transfer rate
$5,387
Avg net price
33%
Grad / completion
$37,085
Median earnings

Walters State Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Morristown, Tennessee (small city setting), enrolling 3,591 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,591 undergradsSmall cityNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Morristown, Tennessee

Morristown is a city in and the county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. During the Cherokee's inhabitance, the area was based around two major pathways, an east-west route that was later developed into the Great Stage Road in the settlement era, and a north-south route known as Buffalo Trail, named for a legend stating the path was formed from herds of buffalo traveling from Asheville, North Carolina to the Powell River near the Cumberland Gap for the river's salt licks. Municipal and county recreation areas include Cherokee Park, Frank Lorino, Fred Miller, and Fulton-Hill. Public access for boating and swimming to Cherokee Reservoir is available in the northern area of the city and county. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
289 miles
Nearest airport
49 miles to McGhee Tyson (TYS) · major hub

How Walters State Community College compares

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 17% · #71 of 81 in Tennessee

First-year retention53%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$37,085

Higher than 57% · #25 of 70 in Tennessee

Average net price$5,387

Cheaper than 89% · #9 cheapest of 82 in Tennessee

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment3,591

Larger than 88%

Percentiles compare Walters 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

3,591undergrads
  • Women2,27363%
  • Men1,31837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White81%
  • Black2.6%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian1.3%
  • Other or multiracial4.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,591
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
56%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$20,244
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,143
Endowment
$18,739,904

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 1,443 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee98%
  • Other U.S. states1.0%
  • International0.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Walters State Community College draws overwhelmingly from Tennessee.

1% came from outside the U.S. 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
$4,752
Out-of-state tuition
$17,736
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,538
Total cost of attendance
$14,313
Average net price
$5,387

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
33%
First-year retention
53%
Transferred to another college
11%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,089
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$37,085
Median debt at graduation
Students with federal loans
0%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
44%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
33%
First-generation
20%

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
114 (63 men · 51 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 (6)

Baseball31
Basketball23
Softball21
Cross Country15
Volleyball14
Golf10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (5,899 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.

1.3reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7

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
$4,826
$30–48k
$5,087
$48–75k
$6,453
$75–110k
$7,763
$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.

23%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,800
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 23% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,800. 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 1,228 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)
$37,085
Typical debt at graduation
Debt vs. one year's pay
Out-earn a HS grad
38%
Weigh it value

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.

Women
$31,737
Men
$44,808

Men out-earn women by $13,071 (41%) 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
86°F
Winter low
27°F
Annual rain
48.1″
Annual snow
8.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Morristown Radio Wcrk, TN US station (3.9 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 Walters State Community College

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

Colleges near Walters 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.