Northwest-Shoals Community College

800 George Wallace Blvd
Muscle Shoals, AL 35661
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Tel: (256)331-5200
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  • Northwest-Shoals Community College is a single, comprehensive two-year public institution of higher education. The college is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and the Associate in Applied Science degrees as well as certificates in occupationally specific areas.
School Highlights
  • Northwest-Shoals Community College serves 3,891 students (48% of students are full-time).
  • The college's student:teacher ratio of 38:1 is higher than the state community college average of 28:1.
  • Minority enrollment is 14% of the student body (majority Black), which is less than the state average of 39%.
  • Northwest-Shoals Community College is the only community colleges within Colbert County, AL.
  • The nearest community college to Northwest-Shoals Community College is John C Calhoun State Community College (42.0 miles away).

School Overview

  • The teacher population of 102 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Northwest-Shoals Community College(AL) Community College Avg.
Carnegie ClassificationBaccalaureate / Associates CollegesBaccalaureate / Associates Colleges
Institution LevelLess than 2 yrsAt least 2 yrs but < 4 yrs
Institution ControlPublicPublic
Total Faculty102 staff73 staff
This chart display total faculty of Northwest-Shoals Community College and community college average number of faculty in AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.

Student Body

  • The student population of Northwest-Shoals Community College has stayed relatively flat over five years.
  • The student:teacher ratio of 38:1 has stayed the same over five years.
  • The Northwest-Shoals Community College diversity score of 0.25 is less than the state average of 0.56. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Total Enrollment3,891 students1,756 students
This chart display the total enrollment of Northwest-Shoals Community College and community college average number of enrollment of AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio38:128:1
This chart display the student staff ratio of Northwest-Shoals Community College and community college average student staff ratio of AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
# Full-Time Students1,877 students1,004 students
This chart display the total number of Full-Time students enrollment of Northwest-Shoals Community College and average number of community college Full-Time students enrollment of AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
# Part-Time Students2,014 students752 students
This chart display the total number of Part-Time students enrollment of Northwest-Shoals Community College and average number of community college Part-Time students enrollment of AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
This chart display the Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of Northwest-Shoals Community College.This chart display community college average Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of AL.
% American Indian/Alaskan
1%
1%
This chart display the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan students in Northwest-Shoals Community College and the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan community college students in AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Asian		-
1%
This chart display the percentage of Asian students in Northwest-Shoals Community College and the percentage of Asian community college students in AL by year, with the latest 2009-10 school year data.
% Hispanic
3%
2%
This chart display the percentage of Hispanic students in Northwest-Shoals Community College and the percentage of Hispanic community college students in AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Black
9%
24%
This chart display the percentage of Black students in Northwest-Shoals Community College and the percentage of Black community college students in AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% White
86%
61%
This chart display the percentage of White students in Northwest-Shoals Community College and the percentage of White community college students in AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
This chart display the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Northwest-Shoals Community College.This chart display the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in AL.
Diversity Score0.250.56
This chart display the diversity score of Northwest-Shoals Community College and the community college average diversity score of AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
College Completion Rate
12%
17%
This chart display completion rates for First-Time of Full-Time students of Northwest-Shoals Community College and community college average completion rates for First-Time of Full-Time students of AL by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)$29,700$29,500
This chart display average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Northwest-Shoals Community College and community college average graduate earnings (10 Years) of AL by year, disaggregated by student subgroups with the latest 2012-13 school year data.

Finances and Admission

  • The public in-state tuition of $4,231 is less than the state average of $5,427. The in-state tuition has grown by 5% over four years.
  • The public out-state tuition of $7,621 is less than the state average of $8,152. The out-state tuition has grown by 5% over four years.
In-State Tuition Fees$4,231$5,427
This chart display tuition fees for an in-state student of Northwest-Shoals Community College and the public community college average tuition fees for an in-state student of AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
Out-State Tuition Fees$7,621$8,152
This chart display tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Northwest-Shoals Community College and the public community college average tuition fees for an out-of-state student of AL by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid93%93%
This chart display the percent of students who is receiving some financial aid in Northwest-Shoals Community College and the percent of community college students who is receiving some financial aid in AL by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
Median Debt for Graduates$11,250$11,250
This chart display median debt for students who have completed a certificate or degree in Northwest-Shoals Community College and average median debt for community college students who have completed a certificate or degree in AL by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
Median Debt for Dropouts$4,500$5,500
This chart display median debt for students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Northwest-Shoals Community College and average median debt for community college students who have not completed a certificate or degree in AL by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
Source: 2016 (or latest year available) IPEDS

School Notes

  • Located in the Northwest corner of Alabama, our college is comprised of multiple campuses serving the counties of Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, and Lawrence, and the western portion of Winston county. Our students come from both urban and rural communities to our campus sites in the Shoals and Phil Campbell.Northwest-Shoals is unique among community colleges in Alabama in that we adhere to the comprehensive community college concept rather than providing separate technical and junior college divisions. Northwest-Shoals Community College offers a broad range of certificate and degree programs, as well as university parallel and linkage programs. A variety of special programs and services, including training for business and industry, is also available.The Community Services Division at NW-SCC provides area companies and individuals with a wide range of technical training, administrative assistance, and personal development courses in the belief that learning is a life-long experience. Consisting of Continuing Education and Training for Business, this division is the flexible division of the college in providing the services not provided in the traditional education environment.The Patriots of Northwest-Shoals are well established as leaders among Alabama intercollegiate athletes. The college holds numerous championship titles in the Alabama Junior and Community College Conference, comprising Region XXII of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

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Quick Stats (2020)
  • Students: 3,891 students
  • In-state tuition: $4,231
  • Out-state tuition: $7,621
  • Student:teacher ratio: 38:1
  • Minority enrollment: 14%
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Did You Know?
For Alabama public community colleges, the average tuition is approximately $5,427 per year for in-state students and $8,152 for out-of-state students. For private community colleges, the average yearly tuition is approximately $12,889 per year. Read more about average community college tuition costs across the country.

The average community college acceptance rate in Alabama is 79%. Read more about national community college acceptance rates.

Alabama community colleges have a diversity score of 0.56, which is lower than the national average of 0.65. The most diverse community college in Alabama is Herzing University-Birmingham. Read more about community college diversity statistics in the USA.
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