Fall enrollment is commonly used to measure the size of the institution as well as the growth/decline of the college’s student population over time. In CCTC’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, college leadership has set a fall enrollment goal of 4,200 students. CCTC has not yet met the ±10% threshold for the fall enrollment goal.
| Fall Enrollment | |||
| Year | Previous Year Headcount | Current Year Headcount | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3720 | 3550 | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 3550 | 3361 | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 3361 | 2885 | -16.5% |
| 2021 | 2885 | 2640 | -9.3% |
| 2022 | 2640 | 3314 | 20.3% |
| Source: South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) EDSS Report IPD314 | |||
Graduate placement rates reflect the success of graduates with respect to employment or continued education. Graduates who are deceased, disabled, and not actively seeking employment (e.g., active military) are exclude from the placement rate. The Performance Funding Indicator defined by the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) sets a target goal of 80% overall graduate placement. CCTC has consistently met or exceeded the established threshold of ±5% for the graduate placement rate.
| Graduate Placement Rates | |||
| Year | Graduates | Available for Placement | Placement Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | 656 | 587 | 91% |
| 2018-2019 | 672 | 590 | 88% |
| 2019-2020 | 695 | 616 | 89% |
| 2020-2021 | 593 | 502 | 86% |
| 2021-2022 | 635 | 567 | 92% |
| Source: South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) Program Evaluation | |||
The graduate production rate is a measure that reflects the college’s fulfillment of its workforce development mission. This rate includes all awards for degrees, diplomas, and certificates and removed time-bound and demographic restrictions. This graduate production rate is based on an unduplicated graduate headcount relative to the fall term full-time-equivalent (FTE). CCTC has consistently met or exceeded the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) Performance Funding benchmark of 20% graduate production given a ±5% threshold action level.
| Graduate Production Rate | |
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | 24% |
| 2018-2019 | 26% |
| 2019-2020 | 29% |
| 2020-2021 | 30% |
| 2021-2022 | 35% |
| Source: South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) - Performance Indicator Report, April 2023 | |
CCTC has consistently met or exceeded this goal over the past five years. The IPEDS graduation rate cohort includes all full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students. The 150% graduate rate is the percentage of full-time, first-time students who graduate within 150% of normal program completion. CCTC has set a goal of a 15% graduation rate with a ±3% action level.
| Graduation Rates | |
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | 19% |
| 2018-2019 | 14% |
| 2019-2020 | 15% |
| 2020-2021 | 18% |
| 2021-2022 | 23% |
| Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Data Feedback Reports | |
Annually, the results of professional licensure exams are collected and reported to the Commission on Higher Education (CHE). The South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) Chief Academic Officers (CAO) Peer Group has reviewed and recommended licensure exams that should be reported for the 16 technical/community colleges. The licensure exam pass rates CCTC reports to CHE appear in bold on the table below. Licensure/certification exam pass rates for additional CCTC programs are included in the table. CCTC has set a goal of having an overall pass rate for first-time examinees on reported exams to be 80% with a ±5% threshold action level. This is to align with the SCTCS Performance Funding Indicator benchmark.
| Licensure Exam Pass Rates | ||||||
| Year | Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) | Certified Surgical Technology (CST) | Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) | Certified Medical Assisting (CMA) or Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) | Pharmacy Technician Certification | Medical Record Coding Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | 94% | 100% | 100% | 94% | 85% | 88% |
| 2018-2019 | 99% | 91% | 100% | 67% | 76% | 91% |
| 2019-2020 | 89% | 70% | 100% | 94% | 44% | 100% |
| 2020-2021 | 91% | 100% | 83% | 64% | 75% | 89% |
| 2021-2022 | 88% | No Graduates* | 78% | 91% | 100% | 100% |
| Source: Institutional Effectiveness Reports | ||||||
| Note: Exam results appearing in bold are reported to CHE annually. The CST program had no graduates in 2021-2022 as a result of the program changing from a diploma to an associate’s degree program. | ||||||
Persistence rates (also called “retention rates”) are a commonly used student progress measure for both two-year and four-year institutions. The Performance Funding Indicator defined by the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) defines fall-to-spring persistence as the proportion of students enrolled in a fall semester who returned the following spring semester (excluding those who graduated between these semesters). CCTC has consistently met or exceeded the SCTCS target fall-to-spring persistence goal of 71% given a ±5% threshold action level.
| Percentage of Students Retained | |
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | 74% |
| 2018-2019 | 73% |
| 2019-2020 | 74% |
| 2020-2021 | 72% |
| 2021-2022 | 73% |
| Source: South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) - Performance Indicator Report, April 2023 | |
As a two-year institution, CCTC measures its students’ progress towards an associate’s degree by tracking the percent of first-time students enrolled a fall semester who are still enrolled during the fall semester of the next year. In the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, college leadership set a goal to achieve 65% fall-to-fall retention for first-time, full-time freshmen, and to achieve 40% fall-to-fall retention for first-time, part-time freshman. CCTC is very close to meeting the ±5% threshold for each of these benchmarks.
| Retention Rates | ||
| Fall-to-Fall | Full-Time | Part-Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | 57% | 37% |
| 2018-2019 | 64% | 30% |
| 2019-2020 | 59% | 27% |
| 2020-2021 | 60% | 31% |
| 2021-2022 | 59% | 34% |
| Source: Institutional Effectiveness Reports | ||
The student success rate is a cohort-based measure of graduation, transfer to another postsecondary institution in South Carolina, or continuing enrollment after three years of first-time enrollment. The cohort includes all first-time freshman enrolling in degree, diploma, or certificate programs in a given fall semester. The Performance Funding Indicator defined by the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) sets a target goal of 49% student success. Over the past five years, CCTC has shown continuous improvement, and the college met the ±5% threshold for this benchmark with the most recent student cohort.
| Student Success Rates | |
| Cohort | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2015-2018 | 35% |
| 2016-2019 | 37% |
| 2017-2020 | 37% |
| 2018-2021 | 38% |
| 2019-2022 | 46% |
| Source: South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) - Performance Indicator Report, April 2023 and EDSS ST IPD314 | |