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Cleveland Township in 1903Photo: C. M Miller, CE 1903 map of Rowan County, North Carolina · Public domain
Colleges in and near Cleveland

Catawba College is 11.5 miles from Cleveland

No college sits inside Cleveland’s boundary, but Catawba College’s campus in Salisbury, with 1,054 students on campus, is 11.5 miles from the center of town, and Mitchell Community College is 12.4 miles away in Statesville. About 5% of Cleveland’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina (6%).

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 Cleveland. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
5
8,516 students on campus
Nearest college
11.5 mi
Catawba College
Residents in college
5%
About the same as NC (6%)
Nearest community college
12.4 mi
Mitchell · $2,641 tuition
Nearest public university
29.6 mi
University of North Carolina at Charlotte · $7,239 in-state
Median household income
$59K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Cleveland

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college 11.5 miles awayCatawba College has 1,054 students on campus in Salisbury, 47% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 12.4 miles awayMitchell Community College in Statesville: tuition and fees $2,641 a year for North Carolina residents.In-state price at University of North Carolina at CharlotteLiving in North Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte charges $7,239 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $22,492. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 5% of residentsAbout the same as North Carolina (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Cleveland

Three private colleges within 13.1 miles, and two community colleges. The nearest public four-year college, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is 29.6 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miRowan-CabarrusMitchellNASCAR Technical InstituteCleveland
University or collegeCommunity college
Catawba CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,054 on campus · 11.5 mi · Salisbury75%admitted$18knet price47%graduate$49kearningsLivingstone CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 814 on campus · 11.9 mi · Salisbury59%admitted$13knet price28%graduate$33kearningsMitchell Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 1,989 on campus · 12.4 mi · Statesville$6knet price28%graduate$33kearningsTuition and fees: $2,641 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Rowan-Cabarrus Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 3,353 on campus · 12.9 mi · Salisbury · mostly online$8knet price35%graduate$35kearnings51% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Tuition and fees: $2,064 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.NASCAR Technical InstituteUniversity or college · For-profit · 1,306 on campus · 13.1 mi · Mooresville$29knet price65%graduate$53kearningsEarnings are reported for all 6 campuses that file with it.

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 it costs

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.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Cleveland’s median household income ($58,750) falls.

Mitchell Community College12.4 mi · Statesville · sticker $16,661 · tuition $2,641$8,805a year
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College12.9 mi · Salisbury · mostly online · sticker $17,338 · tuition $2,064$8,903a year
Livingstone College11.9 mi · Salisbury · sticker $28,305$11,028a year
University of North Carolina at Charlotte29.6 mi · Charlotte · sticker $23,010$13,690a year
Catawba College11.5 mi · Salisbury · sticker $49,516$15,412a year
NASCAR Technical Institute13.1 mi · Mooresville · sticker $33,485$28,965a year

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.

Outcomes

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.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Catawba CollegeLivingstone CollegeMitchellRowan-CabarrusNASCAR Technical InstituteUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte69% graduate$57k earnings$22k typical debt
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College35% graduate$35k earnings$9k typical debt
Mitchell Community College28% graduate$33k earnings
NASCAR Technical Institute65% graduate$53k earnings*$13k typical debt
Catawba College47% graduate$49k earnings$25k typical debt
Livingstone College28% graduate$33k earnings$31k typical debt

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. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: NASCAR Technical Institute (6).

Questions about college near Cleveland

Is Cleveland a college town?

No. About 5 of every 100 Cleveland residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as North Carolina (6). The nearest campus, Catawba College, is 11.5 miles away in Salisbury.

What colleges are near Cleveland?

Within 15 miles: Catawba College (11.5 miles, 1,054 students on campus), Livingstone College (11.9 miles, 814), Mitchell Community College (12.4 miles, 1,989), Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (12.9 miles, 3,353) and NASCAR Technical Institute (13.1 miles, 1,306).

What is the closest community college to Cleveland, and what does it cost?

Mitchell Community College in Statesville, 12.4 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,641 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $6,481, counts housing and food at full cost.

How much does the University of North Carolina at Charlotte cost if we live in North Carolina?

Tuition and fees are $7,239 a year in-state and $22,492 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,357 (under $30,000 income) to $21,761 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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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 Cleveland. 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 →