10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$257,938at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Southwestern Community College
Sylva, NC · 7 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 7 · Federal debt reported for 5
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$257,938 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−128%Estimated return after 10 years
$39,289Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $13,050 housing and food allowance plus $5,925 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$237,110
$5,000Current college-wide context−$257,110
$8,000Annual price−$269,110
$16,000Annual price−$301,110
$24,000Annual price−$333,110
$32,000Annual price−$365,110
$40,000Annual price−$397,110
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students take at least some classes online.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Main award level
- Associate degrees
- Campus setting
- Town
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
553 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in North Carolina run 6% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$5,207Average net price / year
$15,856Cost of attendance
$10,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$111/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$39,289Median earnings · year 5 after completion
53.1%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
1,249Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Southwestern Community College
What does Southwestern Community College cost?
Southwestern Community College reports an average annual net price of $5,207 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Southwestern Community College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $39,289 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Southwestern Community College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $10,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Southwestern Community College worth the same?
No. The current release contains 7 field-and-degree records for Southwestern Community College; 7 report year-4 earnings and 5 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
2,933Students enrolled at any point
2,933Undergraduate students
Not availableGraduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
45% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
Borrower count not reportedMedian federal student debt
37% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$30,822Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$39,521Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$46,457Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income34%
Middle incomeNot reported
Higher incomeNot reported
Undergraduate student composition
White73%
Black2%
Hispanic12%
Asian1%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$34,518Year 1
$45,381Year 4
$39,289Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$74,9872Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$55,0083Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$45,2614Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services · Associate's Degree$44,9515Business Administration, Management and Operations · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$42,2526Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$41,9537Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$27,538Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's Degree · $44,951 reported+6%vs same-degree national median$18,702federal debt2Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $27,538 reported+5%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · $41,953 reported-5%vs same-degree national median$8,500federal debt4Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree · $45,261 reported-7%vs same-degree national median$16,312federal debt5Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $74,987 reported-7%vs same-degree national median$14,617federal debt6Business Administration, Management and OperationsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $42,252 reported-11%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in NC
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Dobson, NC
Surry Community College
- Annual net price
- $4,961
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $38,196
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -134%
Western Piedmont Community College
- Annual net price
- $6,448
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $39,502
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -127%
Gaston College
- Annual net price
- $6,592
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $39,593
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -126%
Central Carolina Community College
- Annual net price
- $5,446
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $37,764
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -136%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 7 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $74,987 | $14,617 | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $55,008 | $10,408 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $45,261 | $16,312 | Not reported |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Associate's Degree | $44,951 | $18,702 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $42,252 | Not available | 33 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $41,953 | $8,500 | Not reported |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $27,538 | Not available | 19 |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.