10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$230,660at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Tri-County Technical College
⌖ Pendleton, SC · 12 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$230,660 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
297.6 yrsModeled economic break-even
−97%Modeled 10-year ROI
$45,802Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Tri-County Technical College
What does Tri-County Technical College cost?
Tri-County Technical College reports an average annual net price of $14,670 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Tri-County Technical College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $45,802 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Tri-County Technical College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $9,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Tri-County Technical College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 12 field-and-credential outcomes at Tri-County Technical College; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$171,980
$8,000Annual price−$203,980
$15,000Current college-wide context−$231,980
$16,000Annual price−$235,980
$24,000Annual price−$267,980
$32,000Annual price−$299,980
$40,000Annual price−$331,980
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Main award level
- Certificates
- Campus setting
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$14,670Average net price / year
$25,057Cost of attendance
$9,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$95/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$45,802Median earnings · year 5 after completion
42.4%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
5,071Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
38% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
313 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
41% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$36,453Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$43,281Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$50,574Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income34%
Middle income51%
Higher income63%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 47
$51,223Year 1
$76,146Year 5
$76,618Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Associate degree · Broad federal field 51
$62,510Year 1
$66,880Year 5
$73,251Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 51
$27,542Year 1
$58,497Year 5
$71,728Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 15
$55,558Year 1
$67,768Year 5
$71,298Year 10
Boilermaking/Boilermaker.Associate degree · Broad federal field 48
$44,308Year 1
$55,817Year 5
$68,363Year 10
Computer Programming.Associate degree · Broad federal field 11
$34,677Year 1
$50,083Year 5
$61,903Year 10
Boilermaking/Boilermaker.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 48
$41,088Year 1
$55,287Year 5
$58,659Year 10
Boilermaking/Boilermaker.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 48
$42,146Year 1
$62,322Year 5
$56,524Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$41,529Year 1
$54,255Year 4
$45,802Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$76,5762Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$71,1463Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General · Associate's Degree$64,5354Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other · Associate's Degree$62,9015Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions · Associate's Degree$52,9636Data Processing · Associate's Degree$52,2377Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$51,3558Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$47,810Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherAssociate's Degree · $62,901 reported+25%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree · $71,146 reported+12%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $64,535 reported+4%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree · $42,077 reported+1%vs same-degree national median$18,218federal debt5Data ProcessingAssociate's Degree · $52,237 reported+1%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree · $47,810 reported-2%vs same-degree national median$9,450federal debt
Comparable colleges in SC
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Beaufort, SC
Technical College of the Lowcountry
- Annual net price
- $14,724
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,868
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -96%
Lander University
- Annual net price
- $15,363
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,572
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -93%
Winthrop University
- Annual net price
- $15,343
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,666
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -93%
Greenville Technical College
- Annual net price
- $11,713
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,672
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -93%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $76,576 | $21,250 | Not reported |
| Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $71,146 | Not available | Not reported |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | Associate's Degree | $64,535 | Not available | Not reported |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Associate's Degree | $62,901 | Not available | Not reported |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | Associate's Degree | $52,963 | Not available | Not reported |
| Data Processing | Associate's Degree | $52,237 | Not available | Not reported |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $51,355 | $25,506 | 49 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $47,810 | $9,450 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $45,462 | Not available | Not reported |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $42,077 | $18,218 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $41,384 | $8,750 | Not reported |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | Associate's Degree | $33,376 | $11,550 | Not reported |
Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.