Surry Community College (SCC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Surry Community College in Dobson, NC offers a small campus and some unique programs, including one of the state’s few viticulture programs.

More and more students are choosing community colleges to start their academic careers or for job retraining as the current economic downturn puts pressure on workers to retool and students to find a less expensive way to pursue a higher education. Surry offers all the benefits of a community college experience, lower costs, and a more nurturing, student-focused environment than the more intense world of four-year colleges.

In addition to the main Dobson campus, the college also has satellite campuses in Mount Airy, Yadkinville, Pilot Mountain and Elkin.

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Information Summary

Ranks 73rd in North Carolina and 2090th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	62.1
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$4,240
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	10 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	66% / 50%
Enrollment Total (all students)	3,073

Academics

Like most community colleges, Surry Community College offers a variety of academic programs for college students seeking to transfer to four-year schools as well as career programs for students looking for a fast track to new skills that will make them more employable.

Popular Majors

Surry Community College offers about 40 areas of study for its students. The most popular majors include:

Liberal Arts
Business
Education
Health programs

The college has a student to faculty ratio of 14-to-one, providing students with small class sizes and ample opportunities to get individualized instruction from teachers at Surry Community College.

Military Friendly College

G.I. Jobs, a military-themed publication aimed at helping soldiers find employment, recently rated Surry Community College as a military-friendly college for the second year in a row. The designation is given to colleges who offer services that cater to the needs of military students.

Online Classes

The college recently received a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to purchase equipment, support faculty and beef up its online learning programs to better help prepare workers for today’s competitive job market. Like many colleges and universities, SCC has been ramping up its distance learning programs in recent years. Currently, students can take a large number of SCC courses online and can even earn five degrees and seven career certificates solely from distance education courses.

Dual Credit

The college offers programs allowing high school students to take courses at SCC for college and high school credit and a program that allows high school students to simultaneously earn their high school diploma and associate’s degree.

Accreditation

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits schools in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas, and Americans schools in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Unique Programs

One unique program offered by Surry Community College is its viticulture program, which prepares students for careers as winemakers and vineyard managers. The program recently opened the $5 million Shelton-Badgett North Carolina Center for Viticulture and Enology. The 16,000 square foot facility has labs, classrooms and a bonded winery. Students in SCC’s viticulture program have won national and international awards for their wines, and the center is expected to contribute skilled labor to North Carolina’s emerging wine industry.

Admissions

Surry Community College has an open admissions policy, meaning that any student with a high school diploma or GED will be accepted. However, some SCC programs have selective admissions. The college’s nursing programs have grade requirements, the medical assisting program has competitive admissions, and the physical therapy assistant program has testing requirements.

Students applying to the university are required to submit high school transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, documentation of civic or community involvement, character references, class rank, and extracurriculars. Students may also be required to take a placement test to determine whether they need remedial courses.

As of Sept. 2011, the university has no application fee.

Financial Aid

Students applying to Surry Community College are eligible for federal grants and student loans. There are also a number of grants and scholarships offered by the state of North Carolina, the college and other organizations for which students may qualify. For example, the Surry Community College Foundation provides scholarships for students with financial need who meet certain requirements.

The college’s website has a comprehensive list of scholarships and other programs, such as loans, that students can use to attend classes at Surry Community College. The office of financial aid also stands ready to help students find other grants and scholarships they may be eligible for. About 57 percent of Surry Community College students receive financial aid of some type.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 6962nd for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in North Carolina.

Students

Surry Community College has an enrollment of about 3,200 students and offers nearly 30 official clubs and organizations for students to participate in, including professional and academic organizations, religious groups, arts groups and recreation groups.

Like most community colleges, Surry Community College does not have on-campus housing, however the college does offer some amenities for students. The college offers tutoring and counseling services, along with campus security to ensure that Surry is a safe school. The college also offers a number of non-credit courses in fun subjects such as the arts and cooking.

Surry Community College has joined a growing number of community college campuses that have become tobacco free, adopting policies barring the usage of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Athletics

Surry Community College has a proud athletic tradition of excellence. Surry is a member of the NJCAA and competes in Region X of the Carolinas College Conference, which consists of community colleges in North and South Carolina. The college fields teams in men’s baseball and golf; and women’s volleyball, softball and golf.

The men’s baseball team has competed in several NJCAA World Series since its inception in the late 90s. The women’s softball team is a recent addition to the athletic offerings of SCC. The women’s volleyball team has won seven Region X championships, five district championships and has made eight appearances in national tournament events.

Surry Community College teams are known as the Knights.

Bibliography

“Surry Community College.” Surry Community College. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. <http://www.surry.edu/index.html>

Gonsher, Debra A., and Joshua Halberstam. The community college guide: the essential reference from application to graduation. Dallas, Tex.: BenBella Books, 2009. Print.

The College Board College Handbook, 2010 . 47th ed. New York: College Board, 2009. Print.