Public · Community college
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Florence, South Carolina · Fringe rural
- 18%
- Transfer rate
- $2,004
- Avg net price
- 34%
- Grad / completion
- $32,748
- Median earnings
Florence-Darlington Technical College is a public certificate-granting institution in Florence, South Carolina (fringe rural setting), enrolling 3,055 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Florence, South Carolina
Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. Early settlers practiced subsistence farming and produced indigo, cotton, naval stores and timber, which were shipped down the Great Pee Dee River to the port at Georgetown and exported. During the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st century, Florence's economy was transformed from being based largely on rail and farming into a diversified economy as the major commerce, finance, rail and trucking services, health care, and industrial center of the Eastern Carolinas. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 66 miles to Myrtle Beach, SC
- To the ocean
- 65 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Florence (FLO)
How Florence-Darlington Technical College compares
Higher than 18% · #29 of 45 in South Carolina
Higher than 20%
Higher than 41% · #19 of 40 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 98% · #2 cheapest of 47 in South Carolina
Lower than 26%
Lower than 39%
Larger than 86%
Percentiles compare Florence-Darlington Technical College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in South Carolina.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,93263%
- Men1,12337%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White39%
- Black49%
- Hispanic0.7%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial10%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,055
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 47%
- First-generation students
- 48%
- Students over 25
- 31%
- Median family income
- $17,043
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $58,122
- Endowment
- $2,668,714
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 828 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From South Carolina95%
- Other U.S. states4.8%
- International0.6%
Most first-years stay in state — Florence-Darlington Technical College draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $4,636
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,772
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,488
- Total cost of attendance
- $10,731
- Average net price
- $2,004
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 34%
- First-year retention
- 58%
- Transferred to another college
- 18%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $27,042
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $32,748
- Median debt at graduation
- $12,250
- Students with federal loans
- 11%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 16%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 66 (54 men · 12 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (2)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (3,522 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 12% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,566. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 428 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $32,748
- Typical debt at graduation
- $12,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 37%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 34%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $11,939 (40%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 32°F
- Annual rain
- 47.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Darlington, SC US station (5.3 mi from campus).
What Florence-Darlington Technical College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Florence-Darlington Technical College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Florence-Darlington Technical College side by side →
Spartanburg Community College
Spartanburg, South Carolina · Midsize suburb · 24 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 5,006
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $37k
Wayne Community College
Goldsboro, North Carolina · Small city · 47 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 2,739
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $34k
Horry-Georgetown Technical College
Conway, South Carolina · Small city · 10 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 6,274
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $36k
College of the Albemarle
Elizabeth City, North Carolina · Distant town · 37 mi to Norfolk
- Students
- 2,001
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 31%
- Earnings
- $33k
Trident Technical College
Charleston, South Carolina · Midsize city · 12 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 10,512
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 24%
- Earnings
- $38k
Victor Valley College
Victorville, California · Large suburb · 35 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 4,210
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $36k
Colleges near Florence-Darlington Technical College
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Florence
Florence, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 172 students
Francis Marion University
Florence, SC · Public · Bachelor's · 2,628 students
Coker University
Hartsville, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 840 students
Academy for Careers and Technology
Mullins, SC · Public · Certificate · 37 students
Northeastern Technical College
Cheraw, SC · Public · Certificate · 921 students
Morris College
Sumter, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 383 students
Central Carolina Technical College
Sumter, SC · Public · Certificate · 2,163 students
University of South Carolina-Sumter
Sumter, SC · Public · Associate · 716 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.