+14%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at South Mountain Community College rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($7.9k → $9.0k).
Arizona · Public · Predominantly certificates
South Mountain Community College
Phoenix, Arizona. 2,612 undergraduate students. 100 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at South Mountain Community College
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at South Mountain Community College fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (4.0% → 0.0%).
+14%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at South Mountain Community College rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($2.1k → $2.4k).
-10%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at South Mountain Community College fell 10% between 2009 and 2010 (7.0% → 6.2%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Arizona
Each tile compares this institution to the Arizona median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$39,825+12% · 6→10y
Arizona median $39,817$35,633
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry23.1%+34% · '97→'24
Arizona median 43.0%$4,500+161% · '02→'20
At program completion2,612+218% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS62.5%+12% · '04→'23
first-time, full-time—
latest cohort$2,358+140% · '00→'24
out-of-state $8,958SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
1.5%Median federal debt $4,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $39,825 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+34%
South Mountain Community College · completion · 150% rose
12.2% → 16.3%
+12%
South Mountain Community College · retention rose
56.0% → 62.5%
+218%
South Mountain Community College · undergrad enrollment rose
1,145 → 3,645
+137%
South Mountain Community College · in-state tuition rose
$984 → $2,358
+110%
South Mountain Community College · out-of-state tuition rose
$4,272 → $8,958
+161%
South Mountain Community College · median debt rose
$3,063 → $8,000
-100%
South Mountain Community College · cohort default rate fell
20.6% → 0.0%
+32%
South Mountain Community College · pell share rose
22.4% → 29.6%
+31%
South Mountain Community College · earnings_median_10yr rose
$30,300 → $39,825
+29%
South Mountain Community College · earnings_median_8yr rose
$29,300 → $37,696
+44%
South Mountain Community College · earnings_median_6yr rose
$24,700 → $35,633
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
4 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Arizona
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“South Mountain Community College graduates earn $X” — not “South Mountain Community College makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending South Mountain Community College caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.