Jackson State
Community College
Public Community College in Jackson, TN. Six-year graduation rate 26%. Median 10-year earnings $35,224.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $35,224, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Completion is the weak point: 26% graduate within six years.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 26% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 26% graduate within six years. 54% first-year retention is low enough to be the defining risk of enrolling here. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. 13% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. Retention drops to 26% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,282 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $7,068 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $5,847 at $0–30k against $9,080 at $75–110k — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Grant aid is widespread — 87% of students receive it, averaging $6,182.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 643 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $5,847 |
| $30–48k | $5,426 |
| $48–75k | $7,485 |
| $75–110k | $9,080 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Madison County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)