Public · Community college
West Shore Community College
Scottville, Michigan · Distant rural
- 29%
- Transfer rate
- $1,527
- Avg net price
- 27%
- Grad / completion
- $36,115
- Median earnings
West Shore Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Scottville, Michigan (distant rural setting), enrolling 782 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Scottville, Michigan
Scottville is a city in Mason County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Hiram Scott platted the land in 1882, and won the right to rename the settlement "Scottville" after winning a coin toss. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 80 miles to Grand Rapids, MI
- To Great Lakes shore
- 7 miles
- Nearest airport
- 58 miles to Muskegon County (MKG)
How West Shore Community College compares
Higher than 9% · #82 of 96 in Michigan
Higher than 40%
Higher than 53% · #25 of 88 in Michigan
Cheaper than 99% · #2 cheapest of 94 in Michigan
Lower than 65%
Lower than 73%
Larger than 70%
Percentiles compare West Shore 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 Michigan.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women45558%
- Men32742%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White77%
- Black3.5%
- Hispanic13%
- Asian1.0%
- Other or multiracial5.1%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 782
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 30%
- First-generation students
- 43%
- Students over 25
- 27%
- Median family income
- $22,000
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $85,257
- Endowment
- $161,200
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $4,470
- Out-of-state tuition
- $8,820
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $2,150
- Total cost of attendance
- $10,637
- Average net price
- $1,527
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
- 27%
- First-year retention
- 68%
- Transferred to another college
- 29%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $34,841
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $36,115
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,089
- Students with federal loans
- 4%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 32%
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
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 (1,120 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: 72% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,677. 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 106 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)
- $36,115
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,089
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 25%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 39%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 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 $11,257 (35%) 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
- 79°F
- Winter low
- 17°F
- Annual rain
- 36.3″
- Annual snow
- 78.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ludington 4 SE, MI US station (7.6 mi from campus).
What West Shore 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 West Shore Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare West Shore Community College side by side →
Alpena Community College
Alpena, Michigan · Remote town · 171 mi to Lansing
- Students
- 732
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $36k
Bay Mills Community College
Brimley, Michigan · Distant rural · 213 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 662
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $30k
Lamar State College-Orange
Orange, Texas · Fringe town · 101 mi to Houston
- Students
- 1,391
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $37k
Chipola College
Marianna, Florida · Distant town · 62 mi to Tallahassee
- Students
- 1,312
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $37k
Manatee Technical College
Bradenton, Florida · Large suburb · 8 mi to Sarasota
- Students
- 1,486
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
Rockingham Community College
Wentworth, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 22 mi to Greensboro
- Students
- 1,065
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $32k
Colleges near West Shore Community College
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI · Public · Bachelor's · 8,106 students
Cadillac Institute of Cosmetology
Cadillac, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 43 students
Muskegon Community College
Muskegon, MI · Public · Associate · 2,760 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Roosevelt Park
Roosevelt Park, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 130 students
Nuvo College of Cosmetology
Norton Shores, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 96 students
Northwestern Michigan College
Traverse City, MI · Public · Associate · 2,813 students
French Academy of Cosmetology
Spring Lake, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 51 students
Lakeshore Technical College
Cleveland, WI · Public · Certificate · 1,886 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.