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Demographics

Trinidad State College was established in 1925 and is one of the 13 public community colleges in the Colorado Community College System. Trinidad State’s service area includes two campuses covering eight rural counties in Colorado which are characterized by low population density and small communities. The two campuses are geographically divided by more than a hundred miles and the 14,000 foot Sangre de Cristo mountain range. While the service area covers approximately 14 percent of the land mass in Colorado, it has only about 1.5 percent of the state’s population.

The campus in Trinidad is located fifteen miles north of the Colorado/New Mexico border adjacent to Interstate 25. On the Colorado side of the state line Trinidad State serves Las Animas and Huerfano Counties. A merger with the San Luis Valley Area Vocational School in Alamosa in 1994 broadened the Trinidad State service area by six counties - Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache. This added 8,200 square miles to the college’s service area. According to the 2010 census, the population of the eight counties is 56,263.  

Through a tuition reciprocity agreement with the state of New Mexico, Trinidad State also provides post-secondary education to residents of the northern New Mexico counties which border south central Colorado on the south. Tuition reciprocity agreements between Colorado and New Mexico allow most New Mexico residents to attend Trinidad State at in-state tuition rates.

Because of the ethnic composition of its service area and its student body, Trinidad State is recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by the United States Department of Education, Title III – Title V Application.

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief runs through Trinidad and stops twice each day about three blocks from the Trinidad State Campus. The Southwest Chief starts in Chicago, runs through Kansas City on its way to Trinidad, then on to Albuquerque and finally Los Angeles. The west-bound train stops in Trinidad around 10 a.m. and the eastbound train comes through around 6 p.m.


Enrollment and Completions

Enrollment

  2013 2012 2011 2010
Full-Time 900 901 955 976
Part-Time 891 785 884 940

High School Enrollment

428 240 280 294

FTE

637.85      

Completions

  2013 2012 2011 2010
Associates 243 209 203 163
Certificates 496 411 365 402

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education Trinidad State has the best completion rates in the Colorado Community College System.


TSC Graduation History

All Campus 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Total
Associate Degree 171 208 207 259 249 1094
Post Second. Cert/Dipl < 1 yr. 155 227 183 298 317 1180
Post Second. Cert/Dipl >1 < 2 246 214 212 239 219 1130
(blank)           2
Grand Total 572 649 602 798 785 3406
             
By Campus 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Total
SLV Campus            
Associate Degree 45 60 54 64 62 285
Post Second. Cert/Dipl < 1 yr. 88 133 101 164 144 630
Post Second. Cert/Dipl >1 < 2 99 114 107 114 97 531
Total SLV Campus 232 307 262 342 303 1446
Trinidad Main Campus            
Associate Degree 108 134 152 189 184 767
Post Second. Cert/Dipl < 1 yr. 65 94 82 132 171 544
Post Second. Cert/Dipl >1 < 2 143 98 103 123 121 588
Total Trinindad Main 316 326 337 444 476 1899
No Campus Listed            
Associate Degree 18 14 1 6 3 42
Post Second. Cert/Dipl < 1 yr. 2     2 2 6
Post Second. Cert/Dipl >1 < 2 4 2 2 2 1 11
(blank)       2   2
Total No Campus 24 16 3 12 6 61
Grand Total 572 649 602 798 785 3406
             
By Campus 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Total
SLV Campus            
AA 1 3 3 8 10 25
AAS 40 49 47 50 46 232
AGS 4 7 4 6 4 25
AS         2 2
CER1 10 9 18 28 21 86
CER1N 78 124 84 136 123 545
CER2 99 115 105 114 97 530
CER2N   1       1
Total SLV Campus 232 307 262 342 303 1446
Trinidad Main Campus            
AA 45 43 50 59 53 250
AAS 33 52 54 46 42 227
AGS 19 28 35 68 69 219
AS 11 11 13 16 20 71
CER1 43 64 61 89 142 399
CER1N 22 30 21 43 29 145
CER2 141 97 103 123 119 583
CER2N 2 1     2 5
Total Trinidad Main 316 326 337 444 476 1899
No Campus Listed            
AA 3 6 1 1   11
AAS 15 4   4 1 24
AGS   3   1 2 6
AS     1     1
CER       2   2
CER1         1 1
CER1N 2 1   2 1 6
CER2 4 2 1 2 1 10
Total No Campus Listed 24 16 3 12 6 61
             
Grand Total 572 649 602 798 785 3406