Trident Technical College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Charleston, South Carolina. It enrolls 10,512 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (2-Year). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Strong
71/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes27
Value99
Affordability64
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Trident Technical College generally admits all qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Trident Technical College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $1,406 per year. That's well below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$1,406
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
28%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
13%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$4,546
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$8,620
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,600
Books & Supplies
$1,495
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,152
Total Cost of Attendance
$13,408
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$1,057
$30,001 – $48,000
$516
$48,001 – $75,000
$1,141
$75,001 – $110,000
$2,174
Over $110,000
$6,542
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$2,00010%percentile
$4,00025%percentile
$13,029Medianpercentile
$21,75075%percentile
$33,82690%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $7,500
↓ $5,529
No Pell $4,668
↓ $8,361
Dependent students $4,272
↓ $8,757
Independent students $9,250
↓ $3,779
Female students $7,000
↓ $6,029
Male students $5,250
↓ $7,779
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,384, less than completers ($13,029), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
1% of full-time students who enrolled at Trident Technical College graduate within six years, and 63% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
1%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
63%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Trident Technical College earn a median of $38,253 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$38,253
Earning > $25K
63%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$30,900
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$42,200
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$31,800
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$38,800
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$39,100
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $11,300, about 27% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
20.6 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 63% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Trident Technical College is home to 10,512 students, a large student community. Some distinctive traits: 43% are first-generation college students, 63% study part-time.
Total Enrolled
10,512
Part-Time
63%
First-Generation
43%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 47.0%4,943
Black 31.2%3,284
Hispanic 10.3%1,086
Other 7.5%786
Asian 1.8%191
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Trident Technical College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Midsize CityCharleston, South Carolina
Housing
Commuter campusNo on-campus housing
Adult Learners
37%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Trident Technical College offers
a varied set of programs:
33 distinct programs across
15 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Trident Technical College is 23:1, high (larger classes are common).
Student : Faculty
23:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$4,981
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$5.5M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$59,335
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
246 instructional faculty across 1 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
No Rank
246
100%
$59,335
Pros & Cons of Trident Technical College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Trident Technical College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Very affordable net price after aid
Open admissions
First-gen-friendly student body
Flexible part-time enrollment options
CONS
Larger class sizes than typical
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for:
Based on the data, Trident Technical College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.
Frequently Asked Questions about Trident Technical College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Trident Technical College.
Is Trident Technical College hard to get into?
Trident Technical College has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted.
What is the acceptance rate at Trident Technical College?
Trident Technical College has an acceptance rate of 0%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Trident Technical College cost?
The average net price after aid at Trident Technical College is $1,406 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Trident Technical College worth it?
Strong return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $38,253 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $1,406 per year. That's roughly 27.2x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Trident Technical College known for?
Trident Technical College is best known for its programs in Liberal Arts, Nursing, Business. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Trident Technical College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Trident Technical College are $38,253, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Trident Technical College accredited?
Yes. Trident Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Trident Technical College?
Trident Technical College enrolls 10,512 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Trident Technical College?
Trident Technical College graduates 1% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Trident Technical College a public or private college?
Trident Technical College is a Public institution.
Where is Trident Technical College located?
Trident Technical College is located in Charleston, South Carolina.
What programs does Trident Technical College offer?
Trident Technical College offers 33 distinct programs. The most popular include Liberal Arts, Nursing, Business.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Trident Technical College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Trident Technical College is 23:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in South Carolina
Other colleges in South Carolina share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Liberal Arts
Nursing
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
