by our College Data Analytics TeamNorthwest Shoals Community College is a public institution in Muscle Shoals, Alabama enrolling 1,969 undergraduates. It has an on-time graduation rate of 39%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,046 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 40%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Northwest Shoals Community College ranks #2,046 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 40%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Northwest Shoals Community College was awarded 220 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked NW-SCC as #2,046 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
Within the state, NW-SCC holds the #23 spot on the Best Colleges in Alabama ranking.
See all of the rankings for Northwest Shoals Community College.
Learn more about Northwest Shoals Community College admissions.
With a student to faculty ratio of 18 to 1, Northwest Shoals Community College is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Northwest Shoals Community College is 38%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Northwest Shoals Community College is 69%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at NW-SCC for first-time, full-time students is 39%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Northwest Shoals Community College.
In the current academic year, there are 1,969 undergraduates at NW-SCC.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Northwest Shoals Community College.
The overall average net price of NW-SCC is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,356 | $2,081 | $4,259 | $7,601 | $10,089 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of NW-SCC, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At NW-SCC, approximately 24% of students took out student loans averaging $2,697 a year. That adds up to $10,788 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 18.8%. This is significantly higher than the national default rate of 10.1%, which means you could have trouble paying back your student loans if you take any out. Get more details about paying for Northwest Shoals Community College.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Shoals Community College make about $33,828 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. Unfortunately, this is 31% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Northwest Shoals Community College make the most money.
Northwest Shoals Community College is an public institution located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Muscle Shoals is a great location for students who prefer city over country life. Get more details about the location of Northwest Shoals Community College.
Contact information for Northwest Shoals Community College are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 800 George Wallace Blvd, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 |
| Phone: | 2563315200 |
| Website: | www.nwscc.edu |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 13 majors graduated from Northwest Shoals Community College. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 1,281 | NA |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 351 | $19,388 |
| Precision Metal Working | 176 | NA |
| Heavy Equipment Maintenance | 96 | NA |
| Electrical & Power Installation | 93 | NA |
| Environmental Control Technology | 79 | NA |
| Nursing | 77 | $44,933 |
| Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 76 | NA |
| Allied Health Professions | 69 | NA |
| Cosmetology | 48 | NA |
2,402 students took at least one online class at Northwest Shoals Community College.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Northwest Shoals Community College.
Curious how schools stack up against NW-SCC? Match them up using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.