Return on Investment
El Paso Community College has seen steady improvements in its Key Performance Indicators of student success in recent years, as part of its Pathways work, EPCC conducts ongoing review and improvement of Program Maps, including adding and clarifying ‘stackable credentials’. Graduation rates within 150% of time increased from 20% to 24% from 202 to 2024.
El Paso Community College
Since 1969, EPCC has remained focused on engaging students, growing community partnerships and fostering excellence. By creating a college-going culture and implementing innovative student success initiatives, EPCC is transforming the pathway to higher education and building a stronger workforce for our region. The college is nationally recognized for its laser-focus on student success with measurable outcomes in student access, affordability, completion, workforce and transfer preparation, and holistic student support.
Joined October 2026
epcc.edu
Return on Investment
EPCC demonstrates a return on investment through measurable gains for students, employers, taxpayers and the regional economy. Outcomes how that students’ economic circumstance improve relative to where they started. The New York Times’ economic-mobility analysis found that 37% of students moved up two or more income brackets, placing EPCC fifth among two-year colleges nationally. The Texas Comptroller regional economic data shows that in 2023, occupations in the region served by EPCC jobs requiring an associate degree paid an average of $9,900 more annually. These results demonstrate that access to affordable and workforce-relevant education at EPCC produces measurable returns through credential attainment, increased earning potential, employment and regional economic activity.
The programs below are the ones the institution put forward against this commitment, with the outcomes it reports against each.
- in annual economic output, according to estimates from the Texas Comptroller.
- $191 millionin annual economic output, according to estimates from the Texas Comptroller.
- more in projected lifetime wages for EPCC students as a result of their education, according to a 2012–13 EMSI study.
- $1.1 billionmore in projected lifetime wages for EPCC students as a result of their education, according to a 2012–13 EMSI study.
- Return on InvestmentEl Paso Community CollegeA Launch Pad for Economic MobilityEPCC connects affordable education and workforce training to careers, higher earnings and greater economic mobility for students, families and the region.
- Return on InvestmentEl Paso Community CollegeBusiness Support That Moves the Region ForwardEPCC’s Small Business Development Center and Contract Opportunities Center support small businesses, entrepreneurs, expand trade opportunities and drive regional economic growth through expert guidance and resources.
Affordability
AffordabilityEPCC provides a low-cost, high-quality pathway to higher education. The college has a comprehensive affordability strategy that includes restraint in costs charged to students, financial assistance, debt avoidance and access. The college offers pathways to reduce time and cost of completion through flex learning, alternative credit options and Texas Course Sharing.
The programs below are the ones the institution put forward against this commitment, with the outcomes it reports against each.
- per credit hour or $1,632 for full-time resident tuition, making EPCC the most affordable tuition option in the region
- $116per credit hour or $1,632 for full-time resident tuition, making EPCC the most affordable tuition option in the region
- EPCC has not increased tuition since 2020
- $0EPCC has not increased tuition since 2020
- of students receive financial aid
- 88%of students receive financial aid
- AffordabilityEl Paso Community College$30 Million. A Lifetime of Opportunity.EPCC is making a long-term investment in student success through the creation of the Student Success Endowment Scholarship which provides lasting scholarships and essential support to help students graduate.
- AffordabilityEl Paso Community CollegeInvesting in Students and Expanding PossibilitiesEPCC connects students with scholarships, emergency aid and $8 million in annual grants to support persistence, completion and career success.
Helping Students Overcome Financial Barriers
The El Paso Community College Foundation assists EPCC students with scholarships and student emergency funding to help students achieve their higher education goals and aspirations. Since 2016, the EPCC Foundation has awarded more than $1.9 million in support of students, and more than 52% of the students receiving these scholarships graduate within 3 years or less, with an average GPA of 3.41.
Academic Excellence
Academic ExcellenceSince being named a Top 10 Finalist for the Aspen Prize for Community College in 2015 and the recipient of the 2016 American Association of Community Colleges Student Success Award, EPCC continues to focus on teaching and learning, degree and certificate completion, holistic student support and post-graduation outcomes in transfer and workforce success. The college is currently an Achieving the Dream Leader college and has received numerous accolades for innovative programs that result in student success. EPCC has a commitment to increasing graduation rates and ensuring students not only start their degrees but finish. In 2023, EPCC reached the milestone of awarding 100,000 degree/certificates. In 2026, the college surpassed 115,000 degrees. It took the college 43 years to award its first 50,000 degrees and it has taken only just a little more than 13 years to more than double that.
The programs below are the ones the institution put forward against this commitment, with the outcomes it reports against each.
- increase in graduation rates across recent EPCC student cohorts.
- 4%increase in graduation rates across recent EPCC student cohorts.
- increase in fall-to-spring continuation rates since 2021, rising from 75% to 81% for all students and from 74% to 79% for first-time college students.
- 5%increase in fall-to-spring continuation rates since 2021, rising from 75% to 81% for all students and from 74% to 79% for first-time college students.
- increase in fall-to-fall retention, rising from 62% to 68%.
- 6%increase in fall-to-fall retention, rising from 62% to 68%.
- Academic ExcellenceEl Paso Community CollegeAffordable College Pathway Transforms FuturesEPCC’s dual credit, Early College High School (ECHS), and Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECHS) create measurable improvements in educational access in our region.
- Academic ExcellenceEl Paso Community CollegeFaster Pathways to Graduation and Career SuccessEPCC’s 8-Week College offers accelerated courses that help students earn credits faster, balance life’s demands and stay on track toward graduation.
- Academic ExcellenceEl Paso Community CollegeMeeting Students Where Opportunity BeginsEPCC expands college access through high school outreach, flexible learning, prior-learning credit and early college programs that open doors to future success.
- Academic ExcellenceEl Paso Community CollegeTejanos Stay Strong: Student Agency and Well-BeingEPCC offers holistic programs that prepare students for success, support essential needs, improve completion and career outcomes, and foster stronger, more connected campuses and communities.
Career Pathways
Career PathwaysEPCC’s career pathways translate education into measurable economic and student outcomes by connecting learners to industry-aligned credentials, work-based learning, employment, and continued educational advancement. Through strong employer partnerships and stackable pathways, students gain the skills and credentials needed for high-demand careers while employers gain access to a prepared local workforce. Success is reflected in credential attainment, employment and wage outcomes, work-based learning participation, transfer and continued education, and the college’s contribution to regional workforce development. EPCC has been an active participant in various national and statewide pathways projects, including American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways and Texas Pathways. As part of the Texas Pathways strategy, EPCC is advancing statewide framework designed to help students choose a clear academic program, stay on track, and graduate. It ensures that coursework seamlessly transfers to four-year institutions, like UTEP, and prioritizes career-readiness.
The programs below are the ones the institution put forward against this commitment, with the outcomes it reports against each.
- degrees have been awarded by EPCC since 1960
- 115,000+degrees have been awarded by EPCC since 1960
- degrees and certificates were awarded by EPCC in 2024–25, a 14% increase from the previous year.
- 5,060degrees and certificates were awarded by EPCC in 2024–25, a 14% increase from the previous year.
- of students graduated within 150% of the expected time in 2023–24, up from 20% in 2020–21.
- 24%of students graduated within 150% of the expected time in 2023–24, up from 20% in 2020–21.
- ewer years to earn a degree. Since 2011, students' time-to-degree has decreased by 1.3 years and the average number of earned semester credit hours at degree completion fell from 102 to 72.
- 1.3ewer years to earn a degree. Since 2011, students' time-to-degree has decreased by 1.3 years and the average number of earned semester credit hours at degree completion fell from 102 to 72.
- Career PathwaysEl Paso Community CollegePartnerships That Turn Pathways to PossibilitiesEPCC partners with K-12 and universities to create seamless pathways to engineering, architecture and healthcare careers through collaborative, hands-on learning.
- Career PathwaysEl Paso Community CollegeTwo Outcomes, One PathwayEl Paso Community College’s Opportunity High School Diploma (OHSD) program creates a new pathway for adults who left high school without a diploma to continue their education, gain workforce skills and pursue greater economic opportunity.
