Southwestern Community College
Public Community College in Sylva, NC. Six-year graduation rate 53%. Median 10-year earnings $34,145.
Students who entered Southwestern Community College reach a median of $34,145 a decade later, a figure that trails the typical four-year outcome. The six-year graduation rate is 53%, meaning about one in two students who start do not finish. Median debt at graduation is $10,500, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.31 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
53% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 75% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Retention drops to 52% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 10:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,304 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $6,176 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Income makes less difference than usual: $4,982 at $0–30k, $7,592 at $75–110k. 69% of students receive grant aid, averaging $4,442 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 9% of students.
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 · 91 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 | $4,982 |
| $30–48k | $4,423 |
| $48–75k | $6,494 |
| $75–110k | $7,592 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 113 of these 1,304 students, totalling $692,563 — an average of $6,129 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Jackson 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)