Carson-Young House · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Marion is home to McDowell Technical Community College
McDowell Technical Community College (569 students on campus) is inside the city. About 3% of Marion’s residents are enrolled in college, below 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 Marion. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college in Marion
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Marion
It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Marion.
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 Marion’s median household income ($51,314) 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 in Marion
Is Marion a college town?
No. About 3 of every 100 Marion residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below North Carolina (6). The largest campus in the city, McDowell Technical Community College, has 569 students on campus.
What colleges are in Marion?
McDowell Technical Community College is inside the city.
What is the closest community college to Marion, and what does it cost?
McDowell Technical Community College in Marion, 2.6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,032 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $7,784, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of North Carolina Asheville cost if we live in North Carolina?
Tuition and fees are $7,501 a year in-state and $24,849 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $8,219 (under $30,000 income) to $18,786 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
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 Marion. 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 →