Cleveland Community College is 1 mile from Light Oak
No college sits inside Light Oak’s boundary, but Cleveland Community College’s campus in Shelby, with 904 students on campus, is 1 mile from the center of town. About 0% of Light Oak’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 Light Oak. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Light Oak
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Light Oak
One private college within 11.1 miles, and Cleveland Community College 1 mile away. The nearest public four-year college, Carolinas College of Health Sciences, is 31.9 miles away.
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 $48–75k, where Light Oak’s median household income ($63,333) 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 Light Oak
Is Light Oak a college town?
No. About 0 of every 100 Light Oak residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as North Carolina (6). The nearest campus, Cleveland Community College, is 1 mile away in Shelby.
What colleges are near Light Oak?
Within 15 miles: Cleveland Community College (1 mile, 904 students on campus) and Gardner-Webb University (11.1 miles, 1,973).
What is the closest community college to Light Oak, and what does it cost?
Cleveland Community College in Shelby, 1 mile away. Tuition and fees are $2,602 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $995, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Carolinas College of Health Sciences cost if we live in North Carolina?
Tuition and fees are $18,882 a year in-state and $18,882 from out of state.
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 Light Oak. 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 →