College Choice Releases 2017 Ranking of the 50 Best Community Colleges
College Choice, a leading authority in college and university rankings and resources, has published a ranking of the 50 Best Community Colleges for 2017.
http://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/best-community-colleges/
A higher education is becoming more and more essential for people who want to be competitive in today’s job market. And these days, from the best online colleges to the best distance learning programs, accessibility and affordability are the name of the game. Community colleges offer these advantages to students all over the United States.
In addition to being affordable and inclusive, community colleges are also convenient and community-based. Often, their class offerings respond to the needs of their local area, and they offer night classes and weekend classes. Finally, you will often find a more diverse student body at a community college than at other institutions.
“Community colleges offer students the opportunity to save money, prepare to transfer to a four-year college, get ready for a career, try out college, or just take advantage of a flexible schedule,” Christian Amondson, Managing Editor of College Choice, said of the ranking. “It can be many things to many people.”
College Choice developed its score with data from the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, Payscale, and individual community colleges to compile a list of the 50 best community colleges in the country. Institutional performance score was developed by looking at first year retention rates, three-year graduation rates, credentials awarded, and other related statistics. A diversity score was also calculated by examining the number of non-traditional and minority students, percentage of Pell grants, and minority graduation rates. Finally, College Choice also compared in-district tuition rates and potential salary to give a sense of the return on investment.
The ranking for the 50 Best Community Colleges for 2017 finds Santa Barbara City College in the top spot. Broward College is in second, and Meridian Community College rounds out the top three.
The entire ranking, listed in alphabetical order, is as follows:
Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Bronx Community College
Broward College
Central Community College
Chaffey College
College of Central Florida
Daytona State College
East Mississippi Community College
Eastern Idaho Technical College
Essex County College
Estrella Mountain Community College
Flint Hills Technical College
Florida SouthWestern State College
Florida State College at Jacksonville
GateWay Community College
Gordon State College
Highline College
Indian River State College
Johnston Community College
Kilgore College
Lincoln Trail College
Los Medanos College
Meridian Community College
Miles Community College
Northcentral Technical College
Northeast Community College
Northeast Mississippi Community College
Northwest Florida State College
Odessa College
Olney Central College
Olympic College
Palm Beach State College
Rend Lake College
Renton Technical College
Saint Johns River State College
San Jacinto Community College
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Fe College
Santiago Canyon College
Scottsdale Community College
South Mountain Community College
South Puget Sound Community College
South Texas College
State Technical College of Missouri
Trinidad State Junior College
Valencia College
Walla Walla Community College
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Western Texas College
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
College Choice is an independent online publication dedicated to helping students and their families find the right college. The site publishes rankings and reviews that make finding the best colleges for different interests easier and more fun, as well as resources to help students get into, pay for, and thrive at the college of their choice.
