Cleveland State Community vs Dyersburg State Community: Softball Program Comparison

Two JUCO programs in the TCCAA. Cleveland State Community graduates 2 points more of its students.

Which one is right for you?

Neither school is better in the abstract — they are better for different athletes. These are the differences big enough to actually decide on.

Lean Cleveland State Community if…

  • Finishing the degree is the priority: Cleveland State Community graduates 2 percentage points more of its students than Dyersburg State Community.

Lean Dyersburg State Community if…

  • You want to leave with less owed: median debt at Dyersburg State Community is $1,054 lower than at Cleveland State Community.

What it costs to go there

Published sticker price from IPEDS. Almost nobody pays it — athletic, academic and need-based aid all come off the top — but the gap between two schools is a fair read on the gap between two offers.

What it costs to go there: Cleveland State Community compared with Dyersburg State Community
MeasureCleveland State CommunityDyersburg State Community
In-state tuition & fees$4,530$4,540
Out-of-state tuition & fees$17,730$17,740

What you leave with

Federal College Scorecard figures for all students at the institution, not softball players specifically. Read them as a signal about the degree, not about the program.

What you leave with: Cleveland State Community compared with Dyersburg State Community
MeasureCleveland State CommunityDyersburg State Community
Graduation rate29% Cleveland State Community leads on this measure: higher share of students finishing their degree27%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry$36,671/yr$36,132/yr
Median debt at graduation$7,954$6,900 Dyersburg State Community leads on this measure: less debt carried out the door
Debt as a share of year-10 payMedian debt divided by median earnings 10 years after entry. Lower is easier to pay back.22%19% Dyersburg State Community leads on this measure: debt is a smaller share of what graduates earn

Getting in, and what you'd walk into

Admissions and size. A coach can support your file, but at most schools they cannot admit you — the academic profile below is the bar you still have to clear.

Getting in, and what you'd walk into: Cleveland State Community compared with Dyersburg State Community
MeasureCleveland State CommunityDyersburg State Community
Total enrollmentNeither is better — it is the difference between a lecture hall and a seminar table.3,2543,143
Where it isCleveland, TNDyersburg, TN

The softball program itself

Division and conference set the ceiling; the postseason record and staff tell you what the program has actually done with it.

The softball program itself: Cleveland State Community compared with Dyersburg State Community
MeasureCleveland State CommunityDyersburg State Community
Head coachHaley CarrollDusty Rhodes

How you actually get in front of them

Camps and questionnaires are the two channels a recruit controls. Where a program runs its own camp, that camp is usually the shortest path to being evaluated by the staff that would recruit you.

How you actually get in front of them: Cleveland State Community compared with Dyersburg State Community
MeasureCleveland State CommunityDyersburg State Community
Recruiting questionnaireYes
Program on X / InstagramYes

Scholarship money, honestly

Both programs sit at JUCO (NJCAA & community colleges), so the scholarship rules are identical: varies by njcaa division. Scholarship availability at junior colleges varies by NJCAA division — some can offer full athletic scholarships, some offer tuition-level aid, and NJCAA Division III offers no athletic aid.

How JUCO softball scholarships actually work →

What to do about it this week

Questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules, so you can submit one at any age. Do both, then follow with a short email to each staff.

Cleveland State Community

Open the recruiting questionnaire

Camps we track

None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.

Dyersburg State Community

Find the recruiting questionnaire

We do not hold a verified form link for this program — this opens a search.

Camps we track

None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.

Cleveland State Community vs Dyersburg State Community: common questions

Which school graduates more of its students, Cleveland State Community or Dyersburg State Community?
Cleveland State Community, at 29% against 27% at Dyersburg State Community (IPEDS, 2023-24). That is the whole student body, not the softball roster.
Do Cleveland State Community and Dyersburg State Community offer softball scholarships?
Both play at JUCO (NJCAA & community colleges): varies by njcaa division. Scholarship availability at junior colleges varies by NJCAA division — some can offer full athletic scholarships, some offer tuition-level aid, and NJCAA Division III offers no athletic aid.
How do I contact the coaches at Cleveland State Community and Dyersburg State Community?
Cleveland State Community runs a recruiting questionnaire — submit it first, since questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules. For Dyersburg State Community, we do not hold a verified form link, so start from the program page and email the staff directly.

Cost, graduation and enrollment figures from IPEDS (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2023-24). Earnings, debt and admission rates from the federal College Scorecard. Postseason results from the NCAA Division I softball tournament records, 2021-2026. Rankings from NCAA.com and U.S. News & World Report. Figures describe the institution, not the softball roster.

We work hard to keep all data for Cleveland State Community and Dyersburg State Community accurate and up-to-date, but we sometimes miss changes or get something wrong.

Still deciding between them?

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