Trident Technical College Tuition & Cost (2026)

Net price / year

$1,406

after grants & scholarships

lower than 99% of public 2-year colleges

Acceptance rate

Open admission

accepts most applicants

Graduation rate

29%

within 150% of normal time

lower than 65% of public 2-year colleges

Median earnings

$58,783

4 years after graduating

higher than 91% of public 2-year colleges

Trident Technical College at a glance

What is the tuition at Trident Technical College?: In-state undergraduate tuition and fees are $4,546 for the 2024-25 academic year, or $8,620 for out-of-state students.
What is the cost of attendance at Trident Technical College?: The average cost of attendance is $13,408 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
What is the net price at Trident Technical College?: The average net price for in-state students is $1,406 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Trident Technical College?: This school has open admission: most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
What is the graduation rate at Trident Technical College?: 29% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 3 years (entering classes through fall 2021).
How much do graduates of Trident Technical College earn?: The median graduate earns $58,783 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).

Key takeaways

At $1,406 a year, the average net price is lower than 99% of public 2-year colleges.
Graduates earn a median $58,783 four years after finishing, more than 91% of public 2-year colleges.
The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 0.1 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
This school has open admission, so most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
Families earning under $30,000 pay about $1,057 a year on average, versus $6,542 for families earning over $110,000.

Tuition and cost of attendance at Trident Technical College

Average net price (in-state)

$1,406 per year

Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.

Estimate your own price with the Trident Technical College net price calculator ↗

Estimated total net cost

$2,812

Net price × 2 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.

Net price by family income

Average yearly net price for students receiving federal aid.

$0–30k $1,057
$30–48k $516
$48–75k $1,141
$75–110k $2,174
$110k+ $6,542

Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $13,408

Tuition & fees$4,546
Books & supplies$1,495
Room & board$9,600
Other expenses$3,152

Tuition & fees (in-state): $4,546
Tuition & fees (out-of-state): $8,620

Trident Technical College acceptance rate and admissions

Open admission

The school admits most applicants who meet basic requirements.

Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Trident Technical College

Graduation rate

29%

First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.

Retention rate

63%

Full-time first-years who return the next fall.

Typical monthly payment

$138

On a standard 10-year federal plan.

Years of earnings premium to cover cost

0.1 years

Net cost ÷ (graduate earnings − high-school graduate earnings). Excludes income forgone while studying and assumes today's earnings. A rough guide, not a prediction.

Earnings vs debt

4 years after graduating$58,783

1 year after graduating$43,348

Median graduate debt$13,029

High-school graduate median (South Carolina)$34,809

Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.

Debt-to-earnings: 0.2×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
Share of pay going to loans: 2.8%
3-year loan default rate: 0%

Outcomes by student group

The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.

Earnings ten years after entry

All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.

Typical range: middle half of students

25th percentile $20,578 · median $38,253 · 75th percentile $58,165

Median by family income

Lowest third of family incomes $34,842

Middle third $44,456

Highest third $44,682

Median by sex

Male students $44,662

Non-male students $34,877

This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.

Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).

Median federal student debt, by group

Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.

By Pell Grant status

Pell Grant recipients $7,500

Not Pell recipients $4,668

By first-generation status

First-generation students $6,815

Not first-generation $5,336

By family income

Family income $0–$30,000 $7,500

Family income $30,001–$75,000 $5,984

Family income over $75,000 $4,500

By gender

Men $5,250

Women $7,000

Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).

How borrowers are doing

One year after leaving school and entering repayment, here is where the 4,901 federal-loan borrowers from this college stood. It covers borrowers only, not students who did not take federal loans.

Repayment status one year after entering repayment

Paid in full 3%
Making progress 6%
Not making progress 13%
Delinquent 4%
Default 0%
Forbearance 60%
Deferment 14%
Discharged 1%

What the terms mean

Paid in full:: The borrower has paid off the loans completely.
Making progress:: Payments are reducing the loan balance, not just covering interest.
Not making progress:: The borrower is paying, but not enough to shrink the balance.
Delinquent:: Payments are late but the loan is not yet in default.
Default:: The borrower has missed payments for so long that the loan is officially in default.
Forbearance:: Payments are temporarily paused or reduced, and interest may keep adding up.
Deferment:: Payments are on hold for an approved reason, such as returning to school.
Discharged:: The loan was cancelled, for example because of a disability or a school closure.

4,901 borrowers · Data period: Borrowers who entered repayment in the AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 cohorts (pooled, NSLDS).

Programs and majors at Trident Technical College ranked by earnings

Program	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Earnings over time	Compared with the U.S. median for this field	Median debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Associate · Graduates: 75	$76,575	1 yr$67,6074 yrs$76,575	U.S. median $80,813 U.S. middle half $61.1K–$103.8K · Below the U.S. median	$21,050
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other Associate · Graduates: 30	$54,774	1 yr$32,7254 yrs$54,774	U.S. median $50,491 U.S. middle half $32K–$71.3K · Above the U.S. median	$9,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Associate · Graduates: 109	$51,912	4 yrs$51,9125 yrs$48,251	U.S. median $44,125 U.S. middle half $28.9K–$61.6K · Above the U.S. median	$10,256
Data Processing Associate · Graduates: 16 Small sample	$48,936	—	U.S. median $51,859 U.S. middle half $33.4K–$70.2K · Below the U.S. median	—

Earnings are for graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years after completing, in 2024 dollars.

The U.S. median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) are for graduates of the same field and credential level at all colleges, 4 years after completing.

The 1-year, 4-year and 5-year figures come from different graduating cohorts and dollar years (1-year: AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 graduates, 2022 dollars; 4-year: AY2017-18 and AY2018-19 graduates, 2024 dollars; 5-year: AY2014-15 and AY2015-16 graduates, 2022 dollars), so read them as three separate measures, not a single career path.

Small samples are noisy: the Scorecard adds privacy noise to program figures and some rows are based on only a handful of graduates, so rows marked “small sample” can move a lot from year to year.

What students study

The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.

Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field

Health Professions and Related Programs 25.6%

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 19.7%

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services 15.4%

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services 10%

Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services 6.7%

Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians 4.5%

Visual and Performing Arts 3.2%

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 2.4%

A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).

Who attends

A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.

Race and ethnicity

White 47%
Black or African American 31.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.2%
Two or more races 6.9%
U.S. nonresident 0%
Race and ethnicity unknown 2.1%

Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).

Gender

Men 35.2%
Women 64.8%

Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).

Students aged 25 or older

37%

of undergraduates

Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).

Students and campus

Undergraduate enrollment: 10,512
Part-time students: 63%
Receive Pell Grants: 28%
Receive federal loans: 13%
Students per faculty member: 21 : 1
Setting: City

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Where it ranks

This college appears in the top 50 of these TuitionScope rankings.

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Frequently asked questions

How much is tuition at Trident Technical College?

For the 2024-25 academic year, Trident Technical College reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $4,546 for in-state students and $8,620 for out-of-state students. These are published prices before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.

What is the cost of attendance and net price at Trident Technical College?

The average cost of attendance at Trident Technical College is $13,408 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $1,406 a year. That is lower than 99% of public 2-year colleges.

How much financial aid do students at Trident Technical College get?

28% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 13% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $1,057 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $6,542 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).

What is the acceptance rate at Trident Technical College?

Trident Technical College has open admission: it accepts most applicants who meet basic requirements.

What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Trident Technical College?

29% of first-time, full-time students at Trident Technical College finish within 150% of normal time. 63% of full-time first-years return the next fall.

How much do Trident Technical College graduates earn after graduation?

The median graduate earns $58,783 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $43,348.

Is Trident Technical College worth it?

There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Trident Technical College, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 0.1 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $13,029, about 0.2 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 29% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time. These are averages, not predictions, and they do not count income forgone while studying.

How much debt do Trident Technical College graduates have?

Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $13,029, or about $138 a month on a 10-year plan.

Sources and data periods

All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:

Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
Graduation rate: Fall 2021 or AcadYr 2021-22 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts

Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things