South Central College
Public Community College in North Mankato, MN. Six-year graduation rate 39%. Median 10-year earnings $45,068.
Ten years after entry, the median South Central College student earns $45,068 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Only 39% finish within six years, so roughly three in five students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates leave owing a median of $12,000 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.27 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Only 39% finish within six years, so roughly three in five students leave without the credential. Retention is weak: only 59% of full-time first-years return, so roughly two in five leave after one year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. 14% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. Retention drops to 41% 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 1,890 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $9,300 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. The income table below is the number that matters — $6,470 at $0–30k versus $15,132 at $110k+. 68% of students receive grant aid, averaging $4,876 — common but not automatic. About 28% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 212 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 | $6,470 |
| $30–48k | $8,439 |
| $48–75k | $9,368 |
| $75–110k | $10,947 |
| $110k+ | $15,132 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 520 of these 1,890 students, totalling $3,106,964 — an average of $5,975 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Nicollet 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)