Start in Portland,
transfer on your terms
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Portland Community College before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere in Oregon. That choice involves real numbers: transfer rates, earnings after graduation, and what it actually costs you out of pocket.
~21,000 undergrads, 29% transfer out by year 8, median $44,592 10-yr earnings, $12,999 median debt.
Portland's largest CC has a real transfer-out rate and manageable debt
Portland Community College enrolls nearly 21,000 undergraduates across Portland, Oregon — the city's primary community college and a significant pipeline into the state's four-year system. Twenty-nine percent of students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years, above the national community college norm. Median earnings land at $44,592 ten years out, and median debt is $12,999 with a 0% three-year loan default rate. In-state tuition is $4,608, though net price rises to $10,405, worth factoring into your calculus. Liberal Arts and General Studies each produce 900-plus completions annually, and the college teaches meaningful volume in computer security, welding, and programming.
Portland Community College is the largest community college in Oregon, enrolling nearly 21,000 undergraduates in Portland — though 61% attend part-time, so completion timelines run long for most students. The college's top program by volume is Liberal Arts and Sciences at 990 completions, followed closely by General Studies at 911. Beyond transfer-prep foundations, PCC teaches at meaningful scale in Computer and Information Systems Security (225 completions), Computer Programming (197), and Welding Technology (239), giving students practical career options alongside the four-year path. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 29%, a solid signal that PCC functions as a genuine pipeline rather than a holding pattern. Median earnings ten years out are $44,592, median debt is $12,999, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $4,608 annually, but the net price is $10,405 — higher than many peer CCs and worth budgeting for carefully. For a Portland-area student with transfer intentions, the fundamentals are sound.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 990 |
| General Studies. | 911 |
| Welding Technology/Welder. | 239 |
| Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance. | 225 |
| Computer Programming, Specific Applications. | 197 |
| Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping. | 140 |
| Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic). | 126 |
| Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General. | 114 |
| Management Information Systems, General. | 72 |
| Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician. | 68 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where Oregon transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is Portland Community College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The numbers support it, with some caveats. Twenty-nine percent of PCC students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years — a solid result, and especially meaningful given that 61% attend part-time. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $44,592, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%, which points to manageable outcomes after leaving. The caution: net price is $10,405 annually, noticeably higher than the in-state tuition of $4,608. That gap means grant aid doesn't eliminate cost here. Median borrower debt is $12,999. If you go in with a clear transfer plan and take advantage of PCC's volume in Liberal Arts and General Studies pathways, the college is a functional foundation. If you drift, the cost and time risk compounds quickly.
- How does Portland Community College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- PCC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 29%. National research consistently places the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so PCC sits above that benchmark. The 29% figure accounts for the reality that 61% of PCC students attend part-time — a factor that stretches timelines. The outcome-measures data shows 0% still enrolled at the eight-year mark and a 22% completion rate at PCC itself, suggesting the student population largely moves on rather than stalling. Taken together, these figures point to PCC operating as an active feeder into Oregon's four-year institutions, not simply absorbing enrollment without producing onward movement.
- What programs does Portland Community College offer at meaningful scale?
- PCC's highest-volume programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (990) and General Studies (911), both of which serve students building transfer-ready coursework. Beyond those foundations, the college produces meaningful volume in Welding Technology (239), Computer and Information Systems Security (225), and Computer Programming (197). Accounting Technology generated 140 completions, Emergency Medical Technology 126, Drafting and Design Technology 114, and Management Information Systems 72. That breadth matters: students pursuing a STEM or business transfer path will find developed infrastructure in computer-related programs, while those interested in applied technical fields have real options in welding, EMT, and drafting at PCC as well.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.