Public · Community college
Trident Technical College
Charleston, South Carolina · Midsize city
- 24%
- Transfer rate
- $1,406
- Avg net price
- 30%
- Grad / completion
- $38,253
- Median earnings
Trident Technical College is a public associate-granting institution in Charleston, South Carolina (midsize city setting), enrolling 10,512 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 1670, Governor William Sayle arranged for several shiploads of settlers from Bermuda and Barbados. These settlers established what was then called Charles Town at Albemarle Point, on the west bank of the Ashley River, a few miles northwest of the present-day city center. Charleston's culture blends traditional Southern U.S., English, French, and West African elements. The downtown peninsula has several arts, music, local cuisine, and fashion venues. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 12 miles to Charleston, SC
- To the ocean
- 7 miles
- Nearest airport
- 2 miles to Charleston (CHS) · major hub
How Trident Technical College compares
Higher than 12% · #35 of 45 in South Carolina
Higher than 22%
Higher than 61% · #10 of 40 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 99% · #1 cheapest of 47 in South Carolina
Lower than 21%
Lower than 23%
Larger than 97%
Percentiles compare Trident 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
- Women6,39861%
- Men4,11439%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White47%
- Black31%
- Hispanic10%
- Asian1.8%
- Other or multiracial9.6%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 10,512
- Student–faculty ratio
- 21 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 43%
- Students over 25
- 37%
- Median family income
- $22,385
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $60,147
- Endowment
- $6,381,089
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 2,464 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From South Carolina99%
- Other U.S. states1.2%
Most first-years stay in state — Trident Technical College draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.
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
- $4,546
- Out-of-state tuition
- $8,620
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,495
- Total cost of attendance
- $13,408
- Average net price
- $1,406
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
- 30%
- First-year retention
- 59%
- Transferred to another college
- 24%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $33,306
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $38,253
- Median debt at graduation
- $13,029
- Students with federal loans
- 13%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 23%
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
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
- 0.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (13,552 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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: 73% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,900. 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 1,123 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)
- $38,253
- Typical debt at graduation
- $13,029
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 34%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 44%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.4 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 $9,785 (28%) 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
- 91°F
- Winter low
- 39°F
- Annual rain
- 52.5″
- Annual snow
- 0.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Charleston Intl AP, SC US station (2.1 mi from campus).
What Trident 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 Trident Technical College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Trident 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
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Florence, South Carolina · Fringe rural · 66 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 3,055
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 18%
- Earnings
- $33k
Macomb Community College
Warren, Michigan · Midsize city · 13 mi to Detroit
- Students
- 13,876
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 32%
- Earnings
- $42k
South Texas College
McAllen, Texas · Midsize city · 2 mi to McAllen
- Students
- 15,856
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $37k
Joliet Junior College
Joliet, Illinois · Large suburb · 39 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 9,306
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 26%
- Earnings
- $43k
Imperial Valley College
Imperial, California · Fringe rural · 97 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 7,652
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $34k
Colleges near Trident Technical College
Southeastern College-Charleston
North Charleston, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 225 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Charleston
North Charleston, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 264 students
Charleston Southern University
Charleston, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,893 students
Charleston Cosmetology Institute
Charleston, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 100 students
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Goose Creek
Goose Creek, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 152 students
Vski Cosmetology School
Charleston, SC · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 31 students
American College of the Building Arts
Charleston, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 155 students
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Charleston, SC · Public · Bachelor's · 2,705 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.