A new study has ranked the U.S. states with the best community college systems, highlighting where prospective students can get a quality education at a lower cost than going to university.
The WalletHub analysis named Maryland as the nation’s best location for its community college offering, with five institutions ranking in the top 40 schools nationwide.
Also featuring high on the list were New Mexico and Wisconsin, while Ohio and Alabama ranked at the bottom.
The study compared more than 650 community colleges across 18 indicators, including the cost of in-state tuition and fees, student-faculty ratio, and graduation rate. The college named overall best in the study was the State Technical College of Missouri.
Why It Matters
Americans owe almost $2 trillion in student loan debt, with the four-year estimated attendance cost at the top five most expensive colleges topping $385,000. Those large debts can affect graduates’ ability to start families, get on the property ladder and find financial stability.
Conversely, community colleges offer students an opportunity to get a higher education without the same financial strain. According to WalletHub, tuition and fees for full-time in-state enrollment at a public two-year college averaged $4,050 a year. Undergraduate students studying at community colleges can also earn academic credit toward a bachelor’s degree, helping to lower the overall cost.
What To Know
WalletHub’s analysis is based on a sample of 653 schools from the list of member institutions in the American Association of Community Colleges.
Schools were evaluated on a 100-point scale across three key dimensions—cost and financing, education outcomes and career outcomes—and 18 metrics in total.
The state-by-state analysis was calculated on a weighted average of the scores earned by the community colleges in each state. Only states with at least two community colleges present in the data sample were included in the results.
The top five community colleges were State Technical College of Missouri; Manhattan Area Technical College and Pratt Community College, both in Kansas; and Woodland Community College and De Anza College, both in California.
On a state level, Maryland was highlighted for offering free community college education. Its top community college was Montgomery College, which ranked 17th nationally. The college has several campuses in Montgomery County, and according to WalletHub, it stands out for its high median salaries for graduates and good student retention rates. It also offers credit for life experiences.
Both Maryland and second-placed New Mexico had five community colleges within the top 40 schools nationally. New Mexico’s best-ranked college, Santa Fe Community College, ranked seventh nationally and was credited for having a high ratio of faculty to students.
Wisconsin, in third place, was praised for offering employment services for students and preparing them well to advance to higher education.
What People Are Saying
Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said in the report: “A good community college minimizes costs for students while also providing an enriching learning experience that leads to high student retention and high graduation rates.
“The best colleges also help their students even post-graduation by offering employment services to help them find jobs with good salaries. Finally, many of the best community colleges realize school isn’t the only place people learn, so they offer credit for life experiences.”
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