Public · Community college
Western Piedmont Community College
Morganton, North Carolina · Small city
- 23%
- Transfer rate
- $6,448
- Avg net price
- 49%
- Grad / completion
- $34,195
- Median earnings
Western Piedmont Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Morganton, North Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 1,339 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Morganton, North Carolina
Morganton is a city in and the county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. On April 17, 1865, there was a small skirmish fought in Morganton, as part of Stoneman's 1865 raid through North Carolina. Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church hosts an annual Parish Food Festival in the first week of November. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 49 miles to Asheville, NC
- To the ocean
- 212 miles
- Nearest airport
- 52 miles to Asheville (AVL)
How Western Piedmont Community College compares
Higher than 36% · #41 of 90 in North Carolina
Higher than 56%
Higher than 46% · #33 of 84 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 85% · #33 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina
Lower than 82%
Larger than 76%
Percentiles compare Western Piedmont 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
- Women81761%
- Men52239%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White70%
- Black6.0%
- Hispanic15%
- Asian7.2%
- Other or multiracial1.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,339
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 45%
- First-generation students
- 46%
- Students over 25
- 24%
- Median family income
- $22,002
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $56,043
- Endowment
- $4,409,296
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $2,650
- Out-of-state tuition
- $8,794
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $16,642
- Average net price
- $6,448
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
- 49%
- First-year retention
- 75%
- Transferred to another college
- 23%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $29,913
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $34,195
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 25%
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 (1,813 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: 2% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $875. 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 115 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)
- $34,195
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 40%
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 $6,942 (22%) 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
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 28°F
- Annual rain
- 51.5″
- Annual snow
- 4.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Morganton, NC US station (0.9 mi from campus).
What Western Piedmont 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 Western Piedmont Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Western Piedmont Community College side by side →
Randolph Community College
Asheboro, North Carolina · Distant town · 28 mi to Greensboro
- Students
- 1,417
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $33k
Beaufort County Community College
Washington, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 95 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 1,074
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
Southwestern Community College
Sylva, North Carolina · Distant town · 41 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 1,249
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $34k
Mitchell Community College
Statesville, North Carolina · Fringe town · 39 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 1,948
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $33k
Stanly Community College
Albemarle, North Carolina · Distant town · 35 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 1,465
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $37k
Haywood Community College
Clyde, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 22 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 849
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $35k
Colleges near Western Piedmont Community College
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, NC · Public · Associate · 2,393 students
McDowell Technical Community College
Marion, NC · Public · Associate · 608 students
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Hickory, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,359 students
Catawba Valley Community College
Hickory, NC · Public · Associate · 2,741 students
Mayland Community College
Spruce Pine, NC · Public · Associate · 362 students
Isothermal Community College
Spindale, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,169 students
Lees-McRae College
Banner Elk, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 873 students
Cleveland Community College
Shelby, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,097 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.