Volunteer State
Community College
Public Community College in Gallatin, TN. Six-year graduation rate 28%. Median 10-year earnings $41,150.
Students who entered Volunteer State Community College reach a median of $41,150 a decade later, a figure that trails the typical four-year outcome. Only 28% finish within six years, so roughly three in four students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $7,550.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.18 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 0.9 — limited economic uplift documented
- ! Graduation rate 28% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 28% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. Retention is weak: only 51% of full-time first-years return, so roughly one in two leave after one year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. A 14% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. The part-time picture is harder: 37% return, against 51% full-time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,127 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $8,651 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price varies modestly by income — $6,733 at $0–30k against $13,530 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 76% get grants averaging $5,677, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 6% 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 · 1,559 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 | $6,733 |
| $30–48k | $7,441 |
| $48–75k | $8,965 |
| $75–110k | $10,880 |
| $110k+ | $13,530 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 331 of these 5,127 students, totalling $1,635,441 — an average of $4,941 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Sumner 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)