Public · Community college

Midlands Technical College

West Columbia, South Carolina · Large suburb

#5 best value in South Carolina
26%
Transfer rate
$4,647
Avg net price
18%
Grad / completion
$38,701
Median earnings

Midlands Technical College is a public associate-granting institution in West Columbia, South Carolina (large suburb setting), enrolling 7,564 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 7,564 undergradsLarge suburb

About West Columbia, South Carolina

West Columbia, formerly Brookland, is a city and commuter town in the suburban eastern sections of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. West Columbia was incorporated in 1894 as "Brookland", but the U.S. Postal Service called the town "New Brookland" since there was another town called Brookland. In 1936, the name was changed to "West Columbia" to emphasize its proximity to Columbia, the capital. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
6 miles to Columbia, SC
To the ocean
99 miles
Nearest airport
1 mile to Columbia Metropolitan (CAE)

How Midlands Technical College compares

Graduation rate18%

Higher than 3% · #41 of 45 in South Carolina

First-year retention49%

Higher than 9%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,701

Higher than 64% · #9 of 40 in South Carolina

Average net price$4,647

Cheaper than 92% · #5 cheapest of 47 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment7,564

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Midlands 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

7,564undergrads
  • Women4,57761%
  • Men2,98739%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White40%
  • Black37%
  • Hispanic9.9%
  • Asian2.1%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,564
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
37%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
30%
Median family income
$25,792
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$63,738
Endowment
$14,720,377

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 2,130 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From South Carolina97%
  • Other U.S. states2.5%
  • International0.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Midlands 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
$5,100
Out-of-state tuition
$14,700
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,624
Total cost of attendance
$14,274
Average net price
$4,647

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
18%
First-year retention
49%
Transferred to another college
26%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,067
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,701
Median debt at graduation
$12,000
Students with federal loans
15%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
27%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
18%
Low-income (Pell)
8%
First-generation
8%

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
$35

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (9,226 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.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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.

< $30k
$3,429
$30–48k
$3,549
$48–75k
$5,157
$75–110k
$8,378
$110k+
$9,503

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.

18%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,673
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 18% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,673. 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 1,433 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)
$38,701
Typical debt at graduation
$12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
31%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$35,303
Men
$44,948

Men out-earn women by $9,645 (27%) 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
93°F
Winter low
35°F
Annual rain
45.2″
Annual snow
1.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Columbia, SC US station (0.2 mi from campus).

What Midlands 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 Midlands Technical College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Midlands Technical College side by side →

Colleges near Midlands Technical College

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.