Southwestern Community College (North Carolina) Diagnostic and Treatment Professions (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
- Public college
- Sylva, NC
- About 39 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Southwestern Community College (North Carolina) diagnostic and treatment professions graduates earn less than graduates of most diagnostic and treatment professions programs nationally, $48,233 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $10,408 in federal loans, less than at 91% of diagnostic and treatment professions programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the North Carolina median of $52,277.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all diagnostic and treatment professions associate's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Southwestern Community College (North Carolina) graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,076 less than the North Carolina median. Several North Carolina programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina diagnostic and treatment professions program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 7% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $110 a month, or 2.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
83% of graduates (45 of 54) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of North Carolina outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $48,233 salary here buys what about $54,556 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to diagnostic and treatment professions, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
$74,450Median pay in North Carolina. 9,250 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Emergency Medical Technicians
$44,250Median pay in North Carolina. 6,680 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.
Physician Assistants
$129,360Median pay in North Carolina. 7,490 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Respiratory Therapists
$80,090Median pay in North Carolina. 4,630 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
About Southwestern Community College (North Carolina)
Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ranks 2nd of 5 associate's programs at Southwestern Community College (North Carolina) by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($61,931), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($48,233), and Allied Health and Medical Assisting ($42,374).
Other diagnostic and treatment professions associate's programs near Sylva
Common questions
The median graduate earns $48,233 one year after graduating and $51,696 five years after. The median across diagnostic and treatment professions associate's programs in North Carolina is $52,277.
The median federal loan balance is $10,408, which ranks 3rd lowest of 12 diagnostic and treatment professions associate's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $110 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 22% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 34%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 83% (45 of 54) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of North Carolina comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the diagnostic and treatment professions program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024