An Alexandria, MN Community College Makes List of Best in Country
An Alexandria Tech & Community College just made a list of the best community colleges in the nation.
WalletHub just revealed lists of the best and worst community college systems by state and best and worst community colleges in the country in 2020.
"University education is out of reach for many Americans, especially those from low-income households," writes financial writer Adam McCann. "But thanks to community colleges, higher education is more accessible than ever." With a dramatic shift in how educating operates in 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, continues McCann, community colleges are especially attractive heading into the fall. "Students who initially planned on attending a private four-year college might want to consider spending two years at a community college and transferring those credits once the economy picks up again."
To determine which community and technical school systems students may want to choose -- and which to avoid -- WalletHub studied a sampling of 698 schools from the list of member institutions in the American Association of Community Colleges. They then compared schools on three key dimensions: 1) Cost & Financing, 2) Education Outcomes and 3) Career Outcomes. Each dimension was broken down into smaller metrics such as Cost of In-State Tuition & Fees, Graduation Rate, and Student-Loan Default Rate.
Overall, Minnesota just missed out on the Top 10 States list for best community college systems in the country, ranking #11.
One Minnesota community college did crack the list of Top 10 Best Community Colleges in the nation, though; Alexandria Technical & Community College ranked 8th best on the list.
Overall Rank (1 = Best) | Community College | Total Score | 'Cost & Financing' Rank | 'Education Outcomes' Rank | 'Career Outcomes' Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | State Technical College of Missouri | 74.5 | 257 | 5 | 3 |
2 | Arkansas State University-Mountain Home | 69.78 | 127 | 14 | 70 |
3 | College of San Mateo | 69.17 | 80 | 307 | 18 |
4 | Northwest Iowa Community College | 68.27 | 376 | 54 | 2 |
5 | Northern Wyoming Community College District | 68.07 | 158 | 149 | 24 |
6 | Northwestern Connecticut Community College | 68.02 | 75 | 215 | 64 |
7 | Ohlone College | 67.71 | 16 | 601 | 9 |
8 | Alexandria Technical & Community College | 67.43 | 364 | 40 | 5 |
9 | Casper College | 67.15 | 140 | 104 | 65 |
10 | Orange Coast College | 66.96 | 71 | 397 | 55 |
WalletHub went on to rank all 698 community colleges, further breaking them down by state. A total of 23 Minnesota community colleges made the list.
Here's how WalletHub broke down Minnesota's 23 community colleges:
State | Rank (1 = Best) | Community College | Total Score |
---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 1 | Alexandria Technical & Community College | 67.43 |
Minnesota | 2 | Northland Community and Technical College | 63.16 |
Minnesota | 3 | Minnesota State Community and Technical College | 63.09 |
Minnesota | 4 | St Cloud Technical and Community College | 62.46 |
Minnesota | 5 | Vermilion Community College | 61.31 |
Minnesota | 6 | South Central College | 61.02 |
Minnesota | 7 | Hennepin Technical College | 60.97 |
Minnesota | 8 | North Hennepin Community College | 60.94 |
Minnesota | 9 | Ridgewater College | 60.83 |
Minnesota | 10 | Lake Superior College | 60.51 |
Minnesota | 11 | Normandale Community College | 60.18 |
Minnesota | 12 | Riverland Community College | 60.01 |
Minnesota | 13 | Central Lakes College-Brainerd | 59.9 |
Minnesota | 14 | Hibbing Community College | 59.48 |
Minnesota | 15 | Century College - MN | 59.44 |
Minnesota | 16 | Rochester Community and Technical College | 59.36 |
Minnesota | 17 | Itasca Community College | 57.47 |
Minnesota | 18 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College | 57 |
Minnesota | 19 | Mesabi Range College | 56.74 |
Minnesota | 20 | Minneapolis Community and Technical College | 53.87 |
Minnesota | 21 | Saint Paul College | 53.36 |
Minnesota | 22 | Rainy River Community College | 48 |
Minnesota | 23 | Leech Lake Tribal College | 43.36 |
Leech Lake Tribal College was also recognized for having one of the lowest graduation rates in the nation, tying for #693.
See the full results of WalletHub's Best and Worst Community College Systems in 2020 here and Best and Worst Community Colleges in 2020 here.
10 Things to Look Forward To This Fall in Minnesota