Southwestern Community College
Sylva, North Carolina · Website
$34,145
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$34,145
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Southwestern Community College is a public 2-year college in Sylva, North Carolina with 1,249 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $5,207 a year (tuition and fees $4,112 in-state, $13,184 out-of-state). 53% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $34,145 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $10,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$5,207
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$4,112
Out-of-state $13,184
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
53%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$10,500
About $111 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$34,145
Rank 3,588 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $5,207
- Tuition in-state
- $4,112
- Tuition out-of-state
- $13,184
- Cost of attendance
- $15,856
- Students with a need-based grant
- 36%
- Students with federal loans
- 5.4%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $4,982
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $4,423
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $6,494
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $7,592
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $2,100 in 2015-16 to $4,112 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 1,249
- Part-time students
- 58%
- Women
- 70%
- Students per teacher
- 10
- Completion rate
- 53%
- Retention rate
- 75%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 56
- Endowment
- $7.08M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,588 of 5,094 US colleges and 93 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $5,207 | $14,086 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $4,112 | $6,906 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 75% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 53% | 48% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 75% | 72% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $10,500 | $20,000 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $31,660 | $31,569 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $34,145 | $36,048 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 39% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 53% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
56 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 126 | $7,845 | $25,973 | $41,953 | $44,125 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 103 | Withheld | $30,899 | $42,252 | $47,440 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 41 | Withheld | $31,162 | $45,261 | $48,733 |
| Legal Support ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 39 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 39 | Withheld | $48,233 | $55,008 | $65,389 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 29 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,589 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 26 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $35,447 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 25 | $12,244 | $61,931 | $74,987 | $80,813 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCertificate | Certificate | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,631 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,984 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 20 | Withheld | $14,354 | $27,538 | $26,307 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | Withheld | $42,374 | $44,951 | $42,269 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,073 |
| CarpentersCertificate | Certificate | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,835 |
| Design and Applied ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 18 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssociate's | Associate's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,656 |
| Outdoor EducationCertificate | Certificate | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Security Science and TechnologyOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 15 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,272 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Certificate | Certificate | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,148 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Sylva and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Southwestern Community College cost?
$5,207 a year is the average net price at Southwestern Community College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $4,112 for in-state students and $13,184 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $15,856. Families earning under $30,000 pay $4,982 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Southwestern Community College?
Southwestern Community College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Southwestern Community College graduates earn?
$34,145 a year is the median pay of former Southwestern Community College students who work, 10 years after they started ($31,660 after 6 years). That ranks 3,588 of 5,094 US colleges and 93 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $61,931.
How much student debt do Southwestern Community College graduates have?
$10,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Southwestern Community College graduates, about $111 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 5.4% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Southwestern Community College?
53% of first-time, full-time students at Southwestern Community College finish within 3 years. 75% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Southwestern Community College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (126 associate's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (103 certificate graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (41 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 56 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.