Technical College of the Lowcountry
Beaufort, South Carolina · Also known as TCL , Lowcountry · Website
$35,090
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$35,090
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Technical College of the Lowcountry is a public 2-year college in Beaufort, South Carolina with 1,679 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $14,724 a year (tuition and fees $6,156 in-state, $11,916 out-of-state). 18% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $35,090 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $10,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,724
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$6,156
Out-of-state $11,916
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
18%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$10,000
About $106 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$35,090
Rank 3,439 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,724
- Tuition in-state
- $6,156
- Tuition out-of-state
- $11,916
- Cost of attendance
- $23,832
- Students with a need-based grant
- 33%
- Students with federal loans
- 6.9%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $14,531
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $15,726
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $20,323
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $4,180 in 2015-16 to $6,156 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 1,679
- Part-time students
- 70%
- Women
- 67%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 18%
- Retention rate
- 58%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 43
- Endowment
- $794K
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,439 of 5,094 US colleges and 50 of 78 in South Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | SC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,724 | $16,583 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $6,156 | $12,978 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 75% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 18% | 46% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 58% | 69% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $10,000 | $15,392 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $34,001 | $33,444 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $35,090 | $38,826 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 38% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 56% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
43 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 82 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,906 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 58 | Withheld | $28,441 | $38,883 | $44,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 31 | $9,666 | $66,628 | $87,568 | $80,813 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 26 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $26,307 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,491 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,927 |
| Data ProcessingAssociate's | Associate's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,859 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 13 | Withheld | $31,348 | $33,592 | $34,272 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,269 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 11 | Withheld | $51,808 | Withheld | $65,389 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCertificate | Certificate | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,078 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Certificate | Certificate | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,148 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,589 |
| Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 7 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $60,097 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $32,681 |
| Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,027 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $35,447 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,706 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,135 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,587 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $30,572 |
| Legal Support ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,669 |
| Plumbing and Related Water Supply ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,996 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Beaufort and South Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in South Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in South Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Technical College of the Lowcountry cost?
$14,724 a year is the average net price at Technical College of the Lowcountry after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $6,156 for in-state students and $11,916 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $23,832. Families earning under $30,000 pay $14,531 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Technical College of the Lowcountry?
Technical College of the Lowcountry has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Technical College of the Lowcountry graduates earn?
$35,090 a year is the median pay of former Technical College of the Lowcountry students who work, 10 years after they started ($34,001 after 6 years). That ranks 3,439 of 5,094 US colleges and 50 of 78 in South Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $66,628.
How much student debt do Technical College of the Lowcountry graduates have?
$10,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Technical College of the Lowcountry graduates, about $106 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 6.9% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Technical College of the Lowcountry?
18% of first-time, full-time students at Technical College of the Lowcountry finish within 3 years. 58% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Technical College of the Lowcountry?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (82 certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (58 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (31 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 43 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.