After Southwestern Community College: graduation, pay and debt
Sylva, North Carolina · Public · 2,109 undergrads
The typical student earns $34,145 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $10,500 in federal loans at the median.
The short answers
$34.1k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
$10.5k
median federal debt at graduation.
39%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers
Finishing
Finished a two-year program within three yearsCollege Scorecard
48%
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
54%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
15%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
211
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard
10%
Pay after college
Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$31,660
Median pay 8 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$32,805
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$34,145
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard
40%
Debt and paying it back
Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard
$10,500
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard
$7,000
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard
$9,229
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard
$4,813
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
39%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
45%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
57%
Where these numbers come from
- Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard (checked May 7, 2026)
Updated May 8, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers