Southern Union State Community College vs Tri-County Technical College (TCTC)

Southern Union State Community College and Tri-County Technical College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Alabama, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking a quality education. While they share a commitment to academic excellence, these colleges differ in several key aspects. Southern Union boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Tri-County maintains a more selective admissions process. In terms of academic offerings, Southern Union excels in liberal arts and sciences, while Tri-County specializes in career-oriented programs, catering to students seeking immediate entry into the workforce. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two institutions, including student body demographics, popular majors, graduation rates, and more, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Southern Union State Community College	Tri-County Technical College
Overview
Location	Wadley, Alabama	Pendleton, South Carolina
Campus setting	Rural: Remote	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	66.0%	30.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees		$30
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $18,010 Out of state: $21,700	In state: $19,985 Out of state: $24,459
Average net price	$9,066	$8,121
Tuition	In state: $3,690 Out of state: $7,380	In state: $5,648 Out of state: $10,112
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $1,160 Meal plan: $2,040
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	71.0% Average amount $7,708	95.0% Average amount $7,786
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,983	20.0% Average amount $5,070
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $5,746	4.0% Average amount $12,973

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,069 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%	5,617 Men 46.2% Women 53.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	8.3%	12.0%
International students	1.1%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Rural: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	460	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alabama Georgia Florida Texas California	South Carolina North Carolina Georgia New Jersey Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Automotive Technology Engineering Technologies Precision Production	Liberal Arts Health Professions Automotive Technology Engineering Technologies Business
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	16.4%	36.2%
Dropout rate	34.4%	26.4%
Transferred out	44.0%	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,094 Year 2: $48,752 Year 3: $52,602 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,891 Year 2: $33,007 Year 3: $40,013 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,818 Year 2: $19,891 Year 3: $27,722 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,219 Year 2: $15,552 Year 3: N/A Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,786 Year 3: N/A Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: N/A Precision Metal Working (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: N/A	Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technology (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $54,890 Year 2: $60,049 Year 3: $64,792 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $55,523 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $59,913 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,789 Year 2: $44,595 Year 3: $45,968 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $38,567 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $39,069 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,874 Year 2: $35,594 Year 3: $38,103 Data Processing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,996 Year 2: $33,637 Year 3: $37,762 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,123 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,930 Year 2: $30,305 Year 3: $33,893 Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $30,565 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,943 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $29,145

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