McDowell Technical Community College has once again been named one of the nation’s top 20 community colleges by SmartAssetTM, an online financial technology company which describes itself as having “…the best personal finance advice on the web.” It is the fifth time that McDowell Tech has achieved top 20 status in the ranking, moving up two spots this year, from number 18 to number 16.
McDowell Tech, one of the top 20 community colleges in the nation.
The ranking is based on SmartAsset’s annual study of 616 community colleges in the United States that offer associate degrees and enroll at least 500 students annually. According to the study, North Carolina has a particularly strong network of community colleges, taking 13 (or 65%) of the spots in the top 20 ranking. Only three of those schools are in the western part of the state, however: McDowell Tech in Marion, Isothermal in Spindale and Wilkes in North Wilkesboro.
According to SmartAsset’s findings, North Carolina community colleges are an exceptional value in the higher education marketplace, owing largely to the high priority the North Carolina Legislature and State Board of Community Colleges have placed on maintaining low tuition rates to make workforce training and higher education affordable for all North Carolina residents. Value and affordability are key factors in SmartAsset’s rankings.
Other key findings in the study include the following:
- Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wisconsin is this year’s top community college.
- California community colleges are the most affordable community colleges in the nation, claiming the top 51 spots on the affordability ranking, with tuition and fees averaging between $1,104 and $1,444. When combining affordability with other factors, however, none of the California colleges made the top 20 ranking.
- In North Carolina, McDowell Tech is ranked ahead of 49 of the 58 community colleges in the state.
SmartAsset used information from the federal government’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) data system for consistency and lack of bias in its study. Data for the review came from the 2022-2023 school year and included data on retention rates from first to second year in an associate degree program, student-to-faculty ratios, and cost of tuition and fees.
“Without a doubt, McDowell Tech and other North Carolina community colleges are true inflation-busters in today’s higher education marketplace, providing accessible, high-quality education and workforce training at a fair and affordable price, with financial aid for those who qualify,” said Dr. J.W. Kelley, President at McDowell Tech. “We are laser-focused on academic excellence and student success, and we invite anyone with dreams and aspirations for a new career, new job or upward mobility to give us a chance to make a difference in their life. That is where the smart money is!”
To learn more about programs that McDowell Tech has to offer, visit https://mcdowelltech.edu/academic-degree-programs-2023/
