Head-to-head comparison
Alamance Community College vs Southeastern College-Charlotte: which has better ROI?
Option A Graham, NC
Alamance Community College
- Net price / year
- $6,109
- Earnings, 10 years
- $34,241
- Payback
- No payback
Option B Charlotte, NC
Southeastern College-Charlotte
- Net price / year
- $30,611
- Earnings, 10 years
- $31,548
- Payback
- No payback
Neither clears its cost on institution-wide earnings, but Alamance Community College comes closer — median earnings $34,241 against a $24,436 total, vs $31,548 at Southeastern College-Charlotte. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
| Measure | Alamance Community College | Southeastern College-Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Net price / yr | $6,109 | $30,611 |
| Total net cost | $24,436 | $122,444 |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs | $34,241 | $31,548 |
| Median debt | — | $9,500 |
| Payback | — | — |
| 20-year net return | -$306,816 | -$458,684 |
College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · payback and returns are our math. Figures blend all majors.
The short answer
Which is cheaper, Alamance Community College or Southeastern College-Charlotte?
Alamance Community College, at $6,109 a year after aid versus $30,611 — a gap of $24,502 a year, or $98,008 across the full degree. These are net prices after grants and scholarships, not sticker prices, so they reflect what an aided student pays.
The short answer
Do Alamance Community College or Southeastern College-Charlotte graduates earn more?
Alamance Community College graduates report a median $34,241 ten years after entry, $2,693 more than the $31,548 at Southeastern College-Charlotte. Both are institution-wide medians from federal tax records, so a high-paying major at the lower school can beat the average at the higher one.
The short answer
Which graduates more of its students?
77% of students finish at Southeastern College-Charlotte, against 39% at Alamance Community College. Completion matters to the ROI arithmetic because a degree that is never finished still carries its cost and its debt, but earns none of the graduate premium above the $48,360 high-school baseline.