Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Regional Peers – Graduation and Transfer

Graduation Transfer Rate

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 .

Almost 40% of first time college degree/certificate-seeking students enrolled full-time in fall 2017, completed a PCC credential and/or transferred to a university by fall 2020.  Combined graduation transfer rates ranged from a low of 32% to a high of 53% among the college’s peers and two colleges had a higher graduation transfer rate than PCC.

3-Year Graduation Transfer Rate Combined
Fall Cohort Group Peer Range (low to high) PCC Grad/Transfer Rate Peers w/higher rates than PCC
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 20% of first time college credential-seeking students enrolled full-time fall 2017, completed a PCC credential by fall 2020.  Some of these students may have transferred to a university as well.

3-Year Graduation Rate
Fall Cohort Group Peer Range (low to high) PCC Graduation Rate Peers w/higher rates than PCC
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

Almost 20% of first time college credential-seeking students enrolled full-time in fall 2017 transferred to a university by fall 2020 before completing a PCC degree or certificate.

3-Year Transfer Rate
Fall Cohort Year Peer Range (low to high) PCC Transfer Rate Peers w/higher rates than PCC
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