Community CollegePublic

Southwestern Community College

Sylva, North Carolina·Public, 2-year·Southeast·southwesterncc.edu
6-yr Graduation
53%
Total enrollment
2,157
peer median 1,980
Avg net price
$4,928
+$1.5k vs Community College
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Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
53%
Full-time retention
75%

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 53 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 48 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
53
Passing
5
9.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

53programs
  • Passing5 · 9.4%
  • No Data48 · 90.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
5
No data
48

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

5
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+30.3%
$41,953 vs $32,203
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+39.6%
$44,951 vs $32,203
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+40.5%
$45,261 vs $32,203
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+70.8%
$55,008 vs $32,203
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+132.9%
$74,987 vs $32,203

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

3
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
19%
$8,000 debt · $41,953 earn
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
16%
$7,200 debt · $44,951 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
14%
$10,696 debt · $74,987 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1971Next review Jun 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 11

  1. Sep 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  2. Nov 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jun 2023Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Feb 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Dec 2022Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$4,445
$30–48k$6,140
$48–75k$4,066
$75–110k
$110k+

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$4,928
+$1,501vs Community College median $3,427
Federal loans
6.5%
In-state tuition
$5,806
Out-of-state
$19,630

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 865 students received $4.0M in Pell grants, alongside $578K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
865
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.0M
$3,988,880 total
Direct Loans
$578K
161 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$233K
77 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$333K
83 loan awards
Parent PLUS$12K
1 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 118 borrowers who entered repayment, 6 (5.0%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
5.0%
+2.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
118
Defaulted
6
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
15.0%
2017
17.8%
2018
9.9%
2019
5.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at SCC

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs37
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

323 total completions
01Liberal Arts
11936.8%
02Health Professions
11134.4%
03Business
4012.4%
04Personal/Culinary
144.3%
05Security/Protective
144.3%
06Education
82.5%
07Parks/Recreation
51.5%
08Computer Sciences
51.5%
09Mechanic
41.2%
10Precision Production
30.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
2,157
12-mo unduplicated
2,860
Undergraduate
2,860
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
37%1,053
Women
63%1,807

Race / ethnicity composition

White
71.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
10.2%
Hispanic
9.9%
Two or more
3.1%
Black
2.4%
Unknown
1.5%
Asian
1.0%
Non-resident
0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.44
1 offenses · 2,256 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.44Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
2
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
10.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
72

SCC vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions SCC selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSouthwestern Community College
53%2,157$4,928Community College
Wilkes Community College
2,593-$28Community College
Richmond Community College
2,384$6,042Community College
Rockingham Community College
1,803$2,380Community College
Cleveland Community College
1,558$414Community College
Southeastern Community College
1,426$4,474Community College
Peer group median53%1,980$3,427

Frequently asked questions about Southwestern Community College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SCC.

What is the graduation rate at Southwestern Community College?

Southwestern Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 53% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Southwestern Community College?

Southwestern Community College reports a total enrollment of 2,157 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Southwestern Community College?

The average net price at Southwestern Community College is $4,928 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Southwestern Community College located?

Southwestern Community College is located in Sylva, North Carolina 28779.

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