Regional Peers – Graduation and Transfer
Graduation Transfer Rate
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) has eliminated the regional peer comparison group requirement in its revised 2027 Standards for Accreditation. This page will be removed after the formal adoption of the standards in fall 2026.
Many students attend college with the intention to earn a credential or prepare for university transfer or both. The combined graduation and transfer rate is the percentage of a *student cohort who complete a PCC degree/certificate or who transfer to a university without a PCC credential within a fixed time period. The regional peer group consists of six community colleges .
Approximately 39% of first time college degree/certificate-seeking students enrolled full-time in fall 2019, completed a PCC credential and/or transferred to a university by fall 2022. Combined graduation transfer rates ranged from a low of 35% to a high of 47% among the college’s peers with three colleges having a higher graduation transfer rate than PCC.
| 3-Year Graduation Transfer Rate Combined | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Cohort | Peer Range (low to high) | PCC Grad+Transfer | Peers w/higher rates |
| 2019 (by 2022) | (35% – 47%) | 39% | 3 colleges |
| 2018 (by 2021) | (35% – 53%) | 35% | 6 colleges |
| 2017 (by 2020) | (32% – 53%) | 39% | 2 colleges |
| 2016 (by 2019) | (34% – 43%) | 42% | 1 college |
| 2015 (by 2018) | (32% – 45%) | 39% | 3 colleges |
| 2014 (by 2017) | (32% – 45%) | 35% | 2 colleges |
| 2013 (by 2016) | (33% – 48%) | 33% | 4 colleges |
Graduation Rate
Approximately 18% of first time college credential-seeking students enrolled full-time fall 2019, completed a PCC credential by fall 2022. Some of these students may have transferred to a university as well.
| 3-Year Graduation Rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Cohort | Peer Range (low to high) | PCC Graduation | Peers w/higher rates |
| 2019 (by 2022) | (18% – 34%) | 18% | 6 colleges |
| 2018 (by 2021) | (18% – 30%) | 18% | 6 colleges |
| 2017 (by 2020) | (20% – 26%) | 20% | 6 colleges |
| 2016 (by 2019) | (14% – 27%) | 22% | 3 colleges |
| 2015 (by 2018) | (13% – 28%) | 21% | 2 colleges |
| 2014 (by 2017) | (15% – 26%) | 15% | 4 colleges |
| 2013 (by 2016) | (11% – 25%) | 16% | 4 colleges |
Transfer (no degree) Rate
Some 21% of first time college credential-seeking students enrolled full-time in fall 2019 transferred to a university by fall 2022 before completing a PCC degree or certificate.
| 3-Year Transfer Rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Cohort | Peer Range (low to high) | PCC Transfer | Peers w/higher rates |
| 2019 (by 2022) | (12% – 27%) | 21% | 1 college |
| 2018 (by 2021) | (10% – 29%) | 17% | 3 colleges |
| 2017 (by 2020) | (9% – 31%) | 19% | 1 college |
| 2016 (by 2019) | (10% – 29%) | 20% | 2 colleges |
| 2015 (by 2018) | (11% – 26%) | 18% | 3 colleges |
| 2014 (by 2017) | (9% – 23%) | 20% | 1 college |
| 2013 (by 2016) | (9% – 26%) | 17% | 4 colleges |
*The student cohort is defined by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) as a group of students who attend college for the first time in a fall term, enroll full-time that term and have declared they are enrolling to pursue a college credential.
Data Source: IPEDS, Graduation Rates (150% time) Report