Southwestern Community College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Sylva, North Carolina. It enrolls 1,249 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Strong
79/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes66
Value81
Affordability67
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Southwestern Community College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $5,207 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$4,112
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$13,184
Room & Board (off-campus)
$13,050
Books & Supplies
$2,232
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,925
Total Cost of Attendance
$15,856
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$4,982
$30,001 – $48,000
$4,423
$48,001 – $75,000
$6,494
$75,001 – $110,000
$7,592
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$2,00010%percentile
$3,50025%percentile
$10,500Medianpercentile
$14,00075%percentile
$20,95490%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $9,229
↓ $1,271
No Pell $4,813
↓ $5,687
Dependent students $4,600
↓ $5,900
Independent students $9,500
↓ $1,000
Female students $8,314
↓ $2,186
Male students $5,000
↓ $5,500
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($10,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
29% of students who start here finish within six years, and 73% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
29%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
73%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $34,145 a year, below the national median. Weigh that against the cost above before taking on debt here. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$34,145
Earning > $25K
56%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$26,800
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$30,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
19.1 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 71% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,249 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 44% are the first in their family to go to college, and 58% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.
Total Enrolled
1,249
Part-Time
58%
First-Generation
44%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 73.4%917
Hispanic 12.2%152
Other 9.5%119
Black 1.8%23
Asian 0.9%11
International 0.6%8
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Southwestern Community College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Southwestern Community College offers
a varied set of programs:
35 distinct programs across
13 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$14,348
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$6.1M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$57,412
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
72 instructional faculty across 1 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
No Rank
72
100%
$57,412
Pros & Cons of Southwestern Community College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Southwestern Community College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
Modest first-year retention
Below-average post-graduation earnings
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for:
Based on the data, Southwestern Community College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.
Frequently Asked Questions about Southwestern Community College
The questions families ask most about Southwestern Community College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Southwestern Community College hard to get into?
Not especially. Southwestern Community College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Southwestern Community College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Southwestern Community College cost?
Budget around $5,207 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southwestern Community College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $34,145 a year against a net price of $5,207, about 6.6 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Southwestern Community College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Allied Health Diagnostic. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Southwestern Community College graduates earn?
About $34,145 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southwestern Community College accredited?
Yes. Southwestern Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Southwestern Community College?
1,249 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Southwestern Community College?
29% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Southwestern Community College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Southwestern Community College located?
Southwestern Community College is located in Sylva, North Carolina.
What programs does Southwestern Community College offer?
35 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Allied Health Diagnostic. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Southwestern Community College?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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