Memphis is a college town: 21 of every 100 residents are students
No college sits inside Memphis’ boundary, but East Mississippi Community College’s campus in Scooba, with 2,303 students on campus, is 23.6 miles from the center of town, and Shelton State Community College is 43.1 miles away in Tuscaloosa. Across Alabama, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Memphis. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Memphis
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
What it’s like to live in Memphis
How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.
21 of every 100 Memphis residents are in college (AL: 6).
How students change Memphis’ other numbers
Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →
Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 28.6% of Memphis residents are below the poverty line, 22.7% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 44 points either way). 50% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.
The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 21%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.
CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Memphis’ median age is 37.5 (Alabama 39.3), so the adult figures describe a young population.
Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.
The nearest college to Memphis
All 0 are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Memphis.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Under $30k, where Memphis’ median household income ($2,499) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Memphis
Is Memphis a college town?
Yes. 21 of every 100 Memphis residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Alabama. The nearest campus, East Mississippi Community College, is 23.6 miles away in Scooba.
What colleges are near Memphis?
Within 15 miles: .
Why is Memphis’ poverty rate so high?
Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 28.6% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 22.7% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 44 points).
What is the closest community college to Memphis, and what does it cost?
Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, 43.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,127 a year for Alabama residents; the federal net price, $14,557, counts housing and food at full cost.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Memphis. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →