| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year college in the Alabama Community College System; a historically Black college (HBCU); campus classes, with two transfer degrees offered fully online |
| Campuses | Two, both in Jefferson County, Alabama: the main campus on Wilson Road in Birmingham and the Bessemer technical campus |
| Credentials | Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate in Occupational Technologies (AOT), certificates, short certificates, and AA/AS transfer degrees |
| Typical length | One semester (EMT) or two semesters (several trade short certificates) to five semesters (RN, Toyota T-TEN) |
| Enrollment | 3,456 students in fall 2024, about two-thirds of them part-time |
| Accreditation | The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC), associate degrees; last reaffirmed 2020, next reaffirmation 2030 |
| Federal aid | Yes (federal school code 001059) |
| Cost | 2026-27: $194 per credit for Alabama residents, $327 for out-of-state students (tuition plus per-credit fees) |
| Founded | 1949; merged with Bessemer State Technical College in 2005 |
| Facts checked | 9 October 2026 |
A two-campus public college with a technical campus in Bessemer
Lawson State Community College is a public two-year college in the Alabama Community College System and one of the state’s historically Black colleges. It began in 1949 as Wenonah State Technical Institute, took the T.A. Lawson State name in a 1973 merger, and absorbed Bessemer State Technical College in 2005. That history shapes the two campuses: the personal-service and transfer programs, plumbing and the day RN, radiography and EMT programs are on Wilson Road in Birmingham, while the Bessemer campus teaches most construction and industrial programs, the dealer-sponsored automotive programs, Practical Nursing and the evening RN program. Lawson State had 3,456 students in fall 2024. Recent changes include a lineworker program with Alabama Power, approved in September 2026 as Alabama’s first Workforce Pell program, and a health professions building being renovated on the Bessemer campus, due for 2027-28.
Career programs at Birmingham and Bessemer
Lawson State awards three kinds of career credential: short certificates of up to about 29 credits, longer trade and health certificates of about 45 to 54 credits (business and office certificates are shorter), and two-year AAS or AOT degrees, which run from 61 credits (Design Engineering Technology) to 76 (Radiologic Technology, HVAC). Several short certificates feed into longer awards. The table lists the main career programs from the college’s program pages (October 2026); a dash means the page gave no figure.
| Program | Credential (credits) | Campus | Accreditation or recognition | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree Nursing | AAS, 72 | Birmingham (day); Bessemer (evening) | ACEN | NCLEX-RN |
| Practical Nursing | Certificate, 49 | Bessemer | ACEN | NCLEX-PN |
| Medical Radiologic Technology | AAS, 76; Limited Scope certificate, 46 | Birmingham | – | ARRT radiography exam |
| Dental Assisting | AAS, 62; certificate, 49 | Ask the college | CODA | – |
| EMT; Advanced EMT | Short certificate, 10; AEMT +9 | Birmingham | State-approved | NREMT exam |
| Air Conditioning and Refrigeration | AOT, 76; certificate, 52; short certificate, 25 | Bessemer | HVAC Excellence | – |
| Welding Technology | AOT, 73; certificate, 49; short certificate, 28 | Bessemer | AWS (college list) | AWS SENSE, NC3 Lincoln LEEPS |
| Building Construction; Facilities Technician | AAS, 65; short certificates, 25 and 29 | Bessemer | – | – |
| Electrical | Short certificate, 28 | Bessemer | – | Apprentice electrician work |
| Plumbing | Short certificate, 28 | Birmingham | – | Apprentice card; journeyman exam after a year |
| Manufacturing Technology; Mechatronics | AAS, 70; certificates of 52, 28 and 13 | Bessemer | NC3 Mechatronics Center of Excellence | – |
| Machine Tool Technology; CNC | Short certificates, 28 and 25 | Bessemer | – | – |
| Design Engineering Technology | AAS, 61; certificate, 45; short certificate, 28 | Bessemer | – | – |
| Toyota T-TEN; GM ASEP | AAS (T-TEN 75) | Bessemer | – | Dealership technician work |
| Auto Body / Collision Repair | AOT, 73; certificate, 51; short certificate, 27 | Birmingham | – | – |
| Barbering; Cosmetology | Certificates, 54 and 52; AOT, 76 and 72 | Birmingham | – | Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering exams |
| Culinary Arts; Hospitality Management | AAS, certificate, short certificate | Birmingham | – | – |
| Graphic Art Communications | AOT, 73; certificate, 49; short certificate, 25 | Bessemer | – | – |
| Computer Science; Business Administration | AAS, 65 each; certificates | Both | ACBSP | – |
Other career programs include Diagnostic Medical Sonography (11 completers in 2025), Medium/Heavy Truck Technician, Automotive Mechanics, Media Production, Office Administration, Child Development and Criminal Justice. The Lineworker Training Program, run with Alabama Power, lasts 10 weeks with more than 400 hours of hands-on work, including pole climbing, line installation, truck driving and ladder safety; in September 2026 it became the first program in Alabama approved for Workforce Pell grants. Education, engineering, sports management and accounting are offered as transfer concentrations only.
What the main programs cover
Registered nursing
Entry to the RN program is competitive and scored on a points system worth up to 63 points. Applicants need a 2.0 GPA overall and 2.5 across ENG 101, MTH 100, BIO 201 and BIO 202, an ACT composite and science score of 18 each, and BIO 220 in progress. The day program in Birmingham admits in summer and fall, with deadlines of 15 January and 15 May; the evening program at Bessemer admits in fall only. Completion within five semesters has been low: 25.19% in 2023, 43.75% in 2024 and 43.01% in 2025.
Practical nursing
Practical Nursing combines 14 pre-professional credits with 35 credits of nursing courses and runs about three semesters, or 12 months, on the Bessemer campus. Admission uses the same ACT and GPA rules as the RN program, with summer and fall cycles, and applications open 60 days before each deadline. Few students finish on schedule: the share completing within three semesters was 28.57% in 2022, 21.23% in 2023 and 29.63% in 2024. The college reports 100% job placement in each year it publishes.
Radiologic technology
Radiologic technology students train as radiographers over two years in the A.G. Gaston Building in Birmingham, joining a single cohort that starts each fall. The day program runs only on this campus. Most students finish: 18 of 19 completed in 2026. Students who want a shorter route can take the 46-credit Limited Scope certificate instead of the degree. In January 2026 the Alabama Community College System board highlighted a radiologic technology partnership with UAB as part of Lawson State’s health professions expansion.
Welding and HVAC
Both programs are at Bessemer and advertise classes of about 20 students. Welding moves through four processes, stick (SMAW), oxy-fuel, MIG (GMAW) and TIG (GTAW), and students can add AWS SENSE and NC3 Lincoln LEEPS certifications as they progress. Air Conditioning and Refrigeration starts with a two-semester short certificate; students who stay for the AOT add a minor in Industrial Electronics, and welders can add one in Industrial Systems Maintenance.
Dealer-sponsored automotive programs
Toyota T-TEN runs for five semesters, alternating terms in the classroom in Building C at Bessemer with paid work at a dealership. GM ASEP, listed by the GM ASEP network at the Bessemer campus, follows the same dealer-sponsored model for General Motors, and Lawson State also lists Ford ASSET and Tech by Mercedes-Benz degrees. Ask which campus holds the Ford, Mercedes and medium/heavy truck classes.
2026-27 tuition, fees and financial aid
Lawson State’s tuition and fees page lists these 2026-27 charges per credit hour, the same on both campuses and online:
| Per credit hour | Alabama residents | Out-of-state |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $133 | $266 |
| Fees (facilities renewal $15, technology $15, special building $10, ACCS enhancement $20, bond surety $1) | $61 | $61 |
| Total | $194 | $327 |
Alabama’s community colleges have no in-district rate, so the resident rate is the lowest. For a 60-credit associate degree, tuition and per-credit fees come to about $11,640 for Alabama residents and $19,620 for out-of-state students, before books, tools, program kits and a $10 student insurance charge each term. Online and virtual courses add a $50 testing fee per course.
Lawson State takes federal financial aid (school code 001059), and the college says 99% of its students qualify for some aid; Niche, using federal data, shows 83% receiving Pell grants (checked October 2026). Aid is processed only after admission is complete. The Lineworker Training Program is eligible for Workforce Pell, the short-term Pell grant. For veterans, the college certifies the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33, including the Fry Scholarship), Chapter 35 and Chapters 1606 and 1607; VA certification is handled at the Academic Success Center in Birmingham and the student services office at Bessemer.
Admissions, deadlines and class formats
The college is open admission, but several health programs choose students by points, with fixed deadlines:
- Associate Degree Nursing: ACT composite and science of 18 each, GPA rules on prerequisite courses; day program deadlines 15 January and 15 May, evening program 15 May (fall start only).
- Practical Nursing: the same ACT and GPA rules; deadlines 15 January and 15 May.
- Radiologic Technology: one fall cohort a year; deadline 1 June.
- Dental Assisting: ACT composite and science of 14 each and a 2.0 GPA; deadline 30 June; up to 24 students each fall.
- EMT: no separate application beyond college admission and the orientation course.
Trade program pages advertise classes of about 20 students. Only two degrees, the AA in Business and the AA in Business Education, can be completed fully online.
Accreditation and published results
Lawson State is accredited to award associate degrees by The Commission on Colleges and Universities, the name the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has used since September 2026; the college’s own accreditation page still uses the old name. Accreditation was last reaffirmed in 2020, the next reaffirmation is due in 2030, and no sanction is listed.
Program accreditation: ACEN accredits both Associate Degree Nursing and Practical Nursing (continuing accreditation, next visit fall 2031), with Alabama Board of Nursing approval; CODA accredits Dental Assisting. The college also lists HVAC Excellence for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, the ASE Education Foundation (formerly NATEF) for its automotive and medium/heavy truck programs, AWS for welding, and ACBSP for business and IT programs.
Published results, from the college’s student-achievement and program pages:
| Measure | Result | Year or cohort |
|---|---|---|
| NCLEX-RN pass rate (Associate Degree Nursing) | 97.22% (35 of 36); 90% | 2024; 2025 |
| NCLEX-PN pass rate (Practical Nursing) | 100% (17 of 17); 85.71% (12 of 14) | 2023; 2024 |
| ARRT radiography, first attempt | 40% (4 of 10); 65% (11 of 17); JRCERT benchmark 75% | 2024; 2025 |
| NREMT exam (EMT) | 57%; 57% | 2024; 2025 |
| Cosmetology state board, theory exam | 53.85% (7 of 13); 50% (5 of 10) | 2024; 2025 |
| Graduation within 150% of normal time | 26% | Students who started in fall 2021 (IPEDS) |
| Fall-to-fall retention, first-time students | 51.4% | Most recent year the college reports |
| Career-program graduates employed, in the military or an apprenticeship | 94.1% | 2023-24, second quarter after leaving (Perkins measure) |
We found no published pass or placement rates for Dental Assisting, Barbering or the other trade programs.
Before you enroll
- The radiography program’s exam results are below the 75% JRCERT benchmark its program page shows: 40% of graduates passed the ARRT exam on the first attempt in 2024 and 65% in 2025. Ask what the program has changed and how many students are in the current cohort.
- EMT students passed the national NREMT exam at 57% in 2024 and 2025, well below the course pass rates, and the cosmetology theory pass rate was about half in both years. Both exams stand between graduation and a licence.
- Which campus you attend depends on the program. Nearly all construction, industrial and dealer-sponsored automotive training is at Bessemer; barbering, cosmetology, culinary, plumbing and collision repair are in Birmingham; the RN program is days in Birmingham and evenings in Bessemer. The college’s pages do not settle where Dental Assisting, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, the medium/heavy truck program and the lineworker course meet, so ask.
- Many trade credentials are short certificates of 25 to 29 credits, including mechatronics, machine tool, electrical and plumbing. Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technology is a technician certificate, not an engineering degree, and plumbing graduates need a year as an apprentice before the journeyman exam.
- Only two degrees are fully online, and both are transfer degrees (Business and Business Education). Online and virtual courses carry an extra $50 testing fee each, and 26% of students who started in fall 2021 graduated within 150% of normal time (three years for a two-year degree).
Housing and career help
Lawson State has two residence halls, Residence Hall I and Residence Hall II. Its housing page (checked October 2026) lists $2,380 for a fall or spring term and $1,190 for summer, plus a $200 non-refundable application fee. Residents must be full-time (at least 12 credits, no more than three of them online), fully admitted, and must file a FAFSA and a health form; rooms go to those who pay first. The college notes that a Pell grant alone does not cover tuition and housing together.
Career help is built into several programs: paid dealership work in Toyota T-TEN, dealer sponsorship in GM ASEP and Ford ASSET, a required internship in the Computer Science AAS, the Alabama Power lineworker partnership, and an AWS Certified Welding Inspector on the welding staff. The college also runs a One-Stop Career Center.
What students say
On Niche, Lawson State averages 4.01 out of 5 from 352 reviews (checked 9 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise supportive, approachable professors, a close-knit campus with visible campus police and school spirit, and the low cost. The most common complaints are poor communication from admissions and financial aid and a confusing aid process, some unhelpful staff, and dorm problems such as small rooms and poor climate control, along with a limited cafeteria. Niche files the reviews under a profile named “Lawson State Community College – Birmingham”, which appears to cover the whole college, and we could not check when most of them were posted.
Sources
Checked 9 October 2026: Lawson State tuition and fees · Student achievement facts · Lawson State accreditation · Commission on Colleges and Universities record · Medical Radiologic Technology · Governor’s office, Workforce Pell lineworker program · Niche
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health
- Associate Degree Nursing, RN (AAS; day in Birmingham, evening in Bessemer)
- Practical Nursing, LPN (certificate; Bessemer)
- Medical Radiologic Technology (AAS; Limited Scope certificate; Birmingham)
- Dental Assisting (AAS, certificate)
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography (AAS)
- EMT and Advanced EMT (short certificates; Birmingham)
- Nursing Assistant (NAS 100 course)
Automotive
- Toyota T-TEN (AAS; Bessemer)
- GM ASEP (AAS; Bessemer)
- Ford ASSET; Tech by Mercedes-Benz (AAS)
- Automotive Mechanics (AOT, certificate)
- Medium/Heavy Truck Technician (AOT, certificate)
- Auto Body / Collision Repair (AOT, certificate, short certificate; Birmingham)
Construction and Building Trades
- Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (AOT, certificate, short certificate; Bessemer)
- Welding Technology (AOT, certificate, short certificate; Bessemer)
- Building Construction (AAS, short certificate; Bessemer)
- Facilities Technician (short certificate; Bessemer)
- Electrical (short certificate; Bessemer)
- Plumbing (short certificate; Birmingham)
- Lineworker Training (10 weeks, with Alabama Power)
Manufacturing and Design
- Manufacturing Technology (AAS, certificate, short certificate; Bessemer)
- Mechatronics (short certificate; Bessemer)
- Industrial Maintenance (short certificate; Bessemer)
- Machine Tool Technology; CNC (short certificates; Bessemer)
- Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technology (short certificate; Bessemer)
- Design Engineering Technology (AAS, certificate, short certificate; Bessemer)
Personal Services and Culinary
- Barbering (certificate, AOT; Birmingham)
- Cosmetology (certificate, AOT; Birmingham)
- Culinary Arts (AAS, certificate, short certificate; Birmingham)
- Hospitality Management (AAS, certificate, short certificate; Birmingham)
Arts and Media
- Graphic Art Communications (AOT, certificate, short certificate; Bessemer)
- Media Production (AAS, certificate, short certificate; Birmingham)
Business, Computing and Education
- Computer Science (AAS with four concentrations, certificate, short certificates; both campuses)
- Business Administration and Management (AAS, certificate, short certificate; both campuses)
- Office Administration (AAS, certificate, short certificate)
- Child Development (AAS)
- Criminal Justice (AAS)
- Transfer degrees (AA, AS), including Business and Business Education fully online
Campus Locations
Birmingham, AL 3060 Wilson Road SW, Birmingham, AL 35221
Birmingham (Bessemer), AL 1100 Ninth Avenue SW, Bessemer, AL 35022