Peer Colleges

Portland Community College, in alignment with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities standards, has *identified national and regional peer colleges. These groupings enable PCC to present outcomes in the context of and in comparison to similar institutions. A review to determine if any college should be added or removed as a peer institution is planned once 2022-23 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS) data are available for analysis. The selection methodology and use of additional data sources will also be considered at that time.

National Peers

The college’s National Peer Group consists of *ten colleges identified as being similar to PCC with regard to enrollment (size), highest degree offered (Associate’s degree), degree of urbanization (large city) and several other identifiers also reported in IPEDS.

College Name Fall 2022 Enrollment
Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) 26,300
El Paso Community College (EPCC) 24,398
Columbus State Community College (CSCC) 25,129
City College of San Francisco (CCSF) 16,134
Portland Community College?(PCC) 19,400
Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) 20,014
College of DuPage (CDP) 21,939
Central New Mexico Community College (CNMC) 19,095
Des Moines Area Community College (DMCC) 21,637
Cuyahoga Community College District (CCCD) 15,764
Wake Technical Community College (WTCC) 21,551

Regional Peers

The Regional Peer Group consists of six institutions located in the western region of the United States. These colleges are similar to PCC in some regards although the four Oregon community colleges are notably smaller in size.

College Name Fall 2022 Enrollment
Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) 26,300
Portland Community College (PCC) 19,400
Sacramento City College (SCC) 17,719
Chemeketa Community College (CHCC) 7,642
Lane Community College (LCC) 6,745
Mt. Hood Community College (MCCC) 6,012
Clackamas Community College (CLCC) 4,638

*San Jancinto Community College and Hillsborough Community College now offer baccalaureate degrees and are no longer included as national peers.

The methodology and iterative process followed to select the original institutions for consideration as peer status are available to PCC employees in IE Spaces.