Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Graduation and Transfer

Graduation rates are calculated for a specific group of students, known as a cohort, whose educational progress is measured over a fixed period of time.  Since some students transfer before obtaining a credential, the following tables present graduation rates and transfer rates for a comprehensive view of the outcomes.

The cohort consists of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students enrolled in the fall.  Their progress is monitored for one and a half completion time, based on the length of their program. For example, for a 2-year degree, the cohort is tracked for three years.

Fall Cohort 2015 by 2018 2016 by 2019 2017 by 2020 2018 by 2021 2019 by 2022
Graduation Rate (150% time) 20.5% 21.8% 20.1% 17.8% 17.8%
Transfer (no degree) Rate 18.3% 19.8% 19.0% 17.1% 20.6%
Combined Graduation and Transfer Rate 38.8% 41.6% 39.1% 34.9% 38.4%
  • The graduation rate for the fall 2019 student cohort at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year is consistent with the rate of the prior year cohort, at 17.8%.
  • However, the percentage of students who transferred before completing their PCC credential is higher for the 2019 cohort (20.6%) than previous cohorts.
  • The combined graduation and transfer rate of 38.4% for the 2019 cohort falls within the range of rates for the five-year cohort group.

Equity Gaps by Sex

Equity gap refers to any disparity in a metric like graduation rate or term-to-term persistence along racial, socioeconomic, sex, or other demographic grouping. These gaps lead the college to ask “what processes, policies, strategies, etc. are in place that create or exacerbate these disparities? ” rather than “what is the student doing wrong?”

2019 Cohort by Sex Range (low to high) Equity Gap
Graduation

17.8% to 17.9%

(male to female)

 no difference
Transfer

20.0% to 21.2%

(male to female)

1.2% points
Combined Grad and Transfer

37.8% to 39.1%

(male to female)

1.3% points
  • The graduation and transfer rates for male students are comparable to those of female students in terms of completion of a PCC credential.
  • Due to a slightly higher transfer rate among female students, the combined graduation and transfer rate for females is higher.

Equity Gaps by Race/Ethnicity

2019 Cohort by Race/Ethnicity Range (low to high) Equity Gap
Graduation

6.9% to 21.1%

(Black/African-American to Asian, White )

14.1% points
Transfer

16.7% to 26.3%

(Hispanic/Latino to Asian)

9.6% points
Combined Grad and Transfer

30.1% to 47.4%

(Black/African-American to Asian)

17.3% points
  • Equity gaps persist across race and ethnicity groups in both graduation and transfer rates.
  • Generally, Asian students exhibit higher graduation and transfer rates compared to other groups.
  • The combined graduation and transfer rates for Hispanic, Asian, White, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander student groups were higher for the 2019 cohort compared to the 2017 and 2018 cohorts.
Race/Ethnicity Group Combined Graduation Transfer Rate
2017 Cohort 2018 Cohort 2019 Cohort
American Indian/Alaska Native (n=17) 23.1% 30.8% 29.4%
Asian (n=190) 43.8% 46.9% 47.4%
Black or African American (n=173) 33.7% 27.7% 30.1%
Hispanic or Latino (n=624) 29.2% 28.0% 30.4%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (n=22) 25.0% 16.7% 31.8%
Two or more races (n=212) 42.4% 31.7% 40.6%
Not Reported (n=163) 35.5% 33.5% 32.5%
White (n=1,378) 42.8% 37.2% 43.1%

Data Source: Integrated Postsecondary Data Systems (IPEDS)