Dayton's transfer pipeline
into Ohio's four-year system
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Sinclair before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere in Ohio. That choice turns on real numbers: the transfer-out rate, what you'll owe, and what earnings look like a decade on.
19,415 undergrads, 30% transfer out by year 8, median $37.6k 10-yr earnings, $12,000 median debt.
A Dayton CC with above-average transfer momentum and low net price
Sinclair Community College enrolls 19,415 undergraduates in Dayton, Ohio, with 81% attending part-time. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 30%, above the typical community college band, and 29% complete a credential at Sinclair itself. Net price is $5,992 and in-state tuition is $3,889, keeping early-year cost low. Median earnings ten years out are $37,558, and median borrower debt is $12,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate. Program volume is dominated by Customer Service (1,767 completions) and Business Administration (849), with meaningful scale in Substance Abuse Counseling, Nursing Assistant training, and Criminal Justice.
Sinclair Community College enrolls 19,415 undergraduates in downtown Dayton, with 81% attending part-time — a population mix that stretches timelines and shapes every outcome figure in the packet. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 30%, which sits above the typical community college range and signals a functioning transfer pipeline. A further 29% complete a credential at Sinclair itself. Customer Service leads program volume with 1,767 completions, followed by Business Administration at 849 and Substance Abuse Counseling at 351 — a mix weighted toward workforce credentials alongside transfer-prep academics. Net price is $5,992 annually and in-state tuition is $3,889, so the cost of starting here is low. Median earnings ten years out are $37,558, median borrower debt is $12,000, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Customer Service Support/Call Center/Teleservice Operation. | 1,767 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 849 |
| Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling. | 351 |
| Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide. | 267 |
| Criminal Justice/Police Science. | 247 |
| Real Estate. | 240 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 235 |
| Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies. | 196 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management, General. | 175 |
| Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician. | 155 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where Ohio 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 Sinclair Community College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The numbers make a solid case. Sinclair's eight-year transfer-out rate is 30%, above the typical 15–25% range for community colleges, which is a meaningful signal that students do reach the four-year step. In-state tuition is $3,889 and net price is $5,992 annually, so two years here costs a fraction of a four-year start. Median borrower debt is $12,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate, and median earnings ten years after enrollment are $37,558. The 81% part-time attendance rate is the main caveat: part-time schedules reliably extend timelines, so a student planning to transfer should budget three years at Sinclair, not two, unless they can commit to full-time coursework. With a concrete transfer plan, Sinclair is a credible low-cost starting point toward a bachelor's in Ohio.
- How does Sinclair's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- Sinclair's eight-year transfer-out rate is 30%. National research places the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so Sinclair sits above that band. A further 29% of students complete a credential at Sinclair itself, and 2% are still enrolled at the eight-year mark — meaning roughly 61% of students reach some defined outcome within eight years. The 81% part-time attendance rate is an important context: part-time students nationally transfer at lower rates because life and work compete with academic momentum, so a 30% aggregate at Sinclair is notable precisely because it holds up despite the part-time-heavy population. For a prospective transfer student, this is a CC where the transfer pathway is genuinely well-worn rather than aspirational.
- What programs does Sinclair teach at meaningful scale?
- Sinclair's top programs by completions are Customer Service Support/Call Center Operation (1,767), Business Administration and Management (849), Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling (351), Nursing Assistant/Patient Care (267), and Criminal Justice/Police Science (247). Further down the list, Real Estate produced 240 completions, Liberal Arts and Sciences 235, Entrepreneurial Studies 196, Hospitality Management 175, and Automotive Mechanics Technology 155. The program mix leans heavily toward workforce and applied credentials — customer service, health assistant roles, criminal justice, trades — rather than broad transfer-prep academic tracks, though Liberal Arts at 235 completions provides a clear academic pathway. A student whose bachelor's plan is in business, criminal justice, or health sciences will find real program infrastructure at Sinclair; students targeting four-year degrees in STEM or humanities should plan their transfer coursework carefully against the offering.
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.