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
$5,207
+$1.6k 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%

Pell equity

5.1pp gap
Pell recipients
51%37 of 72
Non-Pell (all)
56%23 of 41
No Federal Aid
56%23 of 41

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.1-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

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$4,982
$30–48k$4,423
$48–75k$6,494
$75–110k$7,592
$110k+

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

Avg net price
$5,207
+$1,642vs Community College median $3,566
Federal loans
5.4%
In-state tuition
$4,112
Out-of-state
$13,184

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 866 students received $4.0M in Pell grants, alongside $585K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
866
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.0M
$3,994,343 total
Direct Loans
$585K
163 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$236K
78 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$337K
84 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

330 total completions
01Health Professions
13240.0%
02Liberal Arts
10130.6%
03Business
257.6%
04Education
247.3%
05Security/Protective
133.9%
06Personal/Culinary
92.7%
07Visual/Performing Arts
72.1%
08Computer Sciences
72.1%
09Precision Production
61.8%
10Mechanic
61.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,157
12-mo unduplicated
2,933
Undergraduate
2,933
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
34%999
Women
66%1,934

Race / ethnicity composition

White
73.4%
Hispanic
12.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
5.4%
Two or more
4.0%
Black
1.8%
Unknown
1.5%
Asian
0.9%
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
0.47
1 offenses · 2,109 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.441 yr ago0.47Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
2
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Arson
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
Drugs10
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$5,207Community College
2,593-$264Community College
2,384$5,071Community College
1,803$2,060Community College
1,558$995Community College
1,426$9,148Community College
Peer group median53%1,980$3,566

Institutions like SCC

Explore the federal data for institutions in SCC's comparison group.

SCC Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Institutional Research and Planning
Phone
828-339-4000
Address
447 COLLEGE DR., SYLVA NC 28779

Institutional effectiveness provides a mechanism whereby a college can assess and improve its programs and services (both academic and administrative), enabling the college to better serve and meet the needs of its students and other customers.

Visit IR office page
Team
2 members
  • Andrea Stamper
    Director of Institutional Research & Planning
  • Wanda D. Knight
    Institutional Research and Planning Associate

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 $5,207 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.

Who runs Institutional Research at Southwestern Community College?

Southwestern Community College's IR work is done by the Institutional Research and Planning.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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