Is Florence-Darlington Technical College Worth It?

Florence-Darlington Technical College costs almost nothing up front, and that changes the math on everything else. A net price under $600 a year means your out-of-pocket risk is tiny, even if you never finish. That matters here, because only about one in five students graduate. When a school this cheap has a graduation rate this low, the danger isn't debt piling up on you. It's spending semesters, walking away with no credential, and landing back at the $32,748 median that includes people who dropped out.

Your program choice decides your outcome more than the school itself. The nursing certificate clears $52,000, and electrical engineering technology sits close behind near $49,000. Those two put you well above the school-wide median. HVAC pays around $32,000, roughly the median for everyone, so it does less to lift you above the baseline. Vehicle repair and allied health land in between. Every listed program here is a certificate, so treat these as short technical credentials, not degrees.

The financial fit is strong if you enroll in nursing or electrical tech, finish, and work in the Florence region. Median debt around $12,250 is manageable against a $52,000 nursing salary and heavy against the $32,000 median if you don't finish or pick a lower-paying track. The risk specific to this school is the completion gap, not the price tag.

The income tiers make this concrete. If your family earns under $30,000, you pay about $208 a year. Even at over $110,000, you pay roughly $4,064. There's no income level where cost is a real barrier here. Come for a specific certificate you intend to complete, ideally nursing or electrical engineering technology. If you want a four-year degree or aren't sure you'll finish, this isn't the right bet.