A new study by the financial services firm Wallethub ranks Maryland as the nation’s No. 1 community college system. Pennsylvania ranks 38th in the same study.
For Wallethub’s state-by-state analysis, company analysts calculated a weighted average of the scores earned by the community colleges in each state and the number of students enrolled in each school. The state with the highest average corresponds with a rank of No. 1, or the best community-college system.
They also took into account only the states that had at least two community colleges present in the sample of the Best & Worst Community Colleges in order to ensure comparability of results. The study can be found at wallethub.com/edu/e/states-with-best-worst-community-college-systems/15073.
Maryland has the best community colleges, Wallethub analysts said, with its five best schools all ranking within the top 30 community colleges nationwide. Maryland is also one of the states that currently offers free community college education.
The top community college in Maryland is Prince George’s Community College, which has one main campus and several additional learning locations throughout Prince George’s County. This school ranks 19th among the best community colleges nationally, standing out due to high median salaries for graduates, good student retention rates and the fact that it offers credit for life experiences.
Top 5 Community Colleges in Maryland
- Prince George’s Community (Ranked 19th nationally)
- Carroll Community College (Ranked 20th nationally)
- Montgomery College (Ranked 26th nationally)
- Howard Community College (Ranked 27th nationally)
- College of Southern Maryland (Ranked 29th nationally)
