Trident Technical College (TTC) has been recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) with a Torch Award for Affordability. The award honors institutions that demonstrate leadership in managing educational costs and expanding access for students.
Trident Tech’s Torch Award is especially significant because it is the only technical college in South Carolina to receive this honor.
“This recognition affirms Trident Tech’s leadership in delivering high-quality education that is accessible, affordable and transformative,” said TTC President Dr. Vicky Wood. “Thanks to the generous support of the South Carolina General Assembly and the Trident Technical College Foundation, we are proud to serve as a state and national model for affordability while expanding opportunity and strengthening economic mobility across the Lowcountry.”
The Torch Awards recognize SACSCOC member institutions that show strength across multiple affordability-related indicators, reflecting their commitment to student-centered leadership and measurable improvement. Trident Technical College’s recognition reflects performance across a range of indicators related to cost, access, and long-term value for students.
Specifically, Trident Technical College demonstrated strength across the following affordability measures:
· Average net price for low-income students
· Ten-year net price trend for low-income students
· Five-year change in total cost of attendance
· Institutional aid participation rate for undergraduate students
· Premium cost-to-earnings ratio
· Total cost of attendance
Altogether, these indicators highlight Trident Technical College’s efforts to balance affordability, access and value while supporting students throughout their educational journey.
Torch Awards do not represent institutional rankings. Rather, recognition reflects leadership and measurable progress across multiple indicators, acknowledging excellence within diverse institutional missions and contexts.
About the SACSCOC Torch Awards
The Torch Awards recognize colleges and universities that demonstrate meaningful, data-informed impact in the areas of affordability, student support and completion, and post-college success. Drawing on publicly reported data, the awards elevate institutional practices that support access, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
About SACSCOC
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is an institutional accreditor for quality assurance in higher education. SACSCOC accredits institutions that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees, including those offered via distance and correspondence education, and direct assessment within these institutions. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among its members in the United States and international institutions of higher education approved by the SACSCOC Executive Council, Board of Trustees, and the Appeals Committee of the College Delegate Assembly. The mission of SACSCOC is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions.