Tuition for Alabama residents attending Northwest Shoals Community College rose by 3.7% during the 2022-23 school year, as revealed in the latest report, according to the latest disclosure from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Alabama residents paid $5,011 to enroll at the two-year public college this year, an increase of $180 from the $4,831 charged in the 2021-22 academic year.
Non-resident students faced tuition costs 74.8% higher than those for residents in 2022-23, amounting to $8,761. This represents a 2.8% increase from the $8,521 tuition fee in the previous year.
Approximately 97% of the undergraduate student body at the college are Alabama residents, while about 2% come from other states.
Data indicates that 94% of full-time undergraduates who began their studies at Northwest Shoals Community College in 2022-23 received some form of student financial aid. In total, 356 students were awarded grants or scholarships totaling $2.5 million, and 249 students borrowed student loans exceeding $771,534.
Across the entire undergraduate population, 1,984 students received grants or scholarships amounting to $8.4 million. Additionally, 968 students obtained federal student loans totaling $3.2 million.
Undergraduate education costs have seen a significant increase over the past few decades. Data shows a 169% rise in the average total cost, including tuition, fees, room, and board, between 1980 and 2020.
According to a 2023 College Board report, in-state students at public universities paid an average of $11,260, while out-of-state students paid $29,150 in the 2023-24 academic year.
Meanwhile, student loan debt has steadily increased over the last 30 years, reaching $1.75 trillion in 2024, averaging a total of $28,950 per borrower. Federal loans make up 92% of the debt, with over half of students at both public and private four-year colleges graduating with student loans.
Available data sometimes exceeds 100% due to rounding and administrative calculations.
The following data includes only full-time students who began an undergraduate program at the Northwest Shoals Community College in the 2022-23 school year.
| Type of Aid | Number of students awarded aid | Percent awarded aid | Total amount of aid awarded | Average amount of aid per student |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal grants | 263 | 60% | $1.9 million | $7,221 |
| State / local grant or scholarship | 48 | 11% | $27,078 | $564 |
| Institutional grants or scholarships | 172 | 39% | $551,159 | $3,204 |
| Grant or scholarship aid total | 356 | 81% | $2.5 million | $6,959 |
| Federal student loans | 249 | 57% | $771,534 | $3,099 |
| Other student loans | 0 | 0% | $0 | $0 |
| Student loan aid | 249 | 57% | $771,534 | $3,099 |
| Total student aid | 413 | 94% | $3.2 million | $7,866 |
Information in this story was obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics. The source data can be found here.
