Smart students entering college will look for the best value for their buck. Rather than begin their academic career in an expensive private school, they often enroll in a two-year public college before transferring to a four-year university. Others may decide on a career that doesn’t require a degree from a conventional four-year institution. For instance, they may wish to learn a trade at a technical school.
Culling data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Bankrate ranked more than 900 two-year public colleges using six criteria: graduation rate; student retention rate; student-faculty ratio; in-state tuition and fees; percentage of full-time, first time undergrads getting financial aid; and the average amount of aid they received from various sources. We excluded schools that didn’t report information on these six criteria to the NCES, as well as private institutions and schools with fewer than 100 full-time students. The data reflect full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking students who entered college in fall 2008.
Following are the top 25 two-year public colleges based on this ranking.
Top 25 two-year public colleges |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Institution name | Retention rate, 2011 (percent) | Graduation rate (percent) | Number of students per instructor | In-state tuition and fees per year | Percentage of undergrads receiving financial aid* | Average amount of grant aid received** |
| 1 | East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program Calif. |
98 | 87 | 14 | $3,700 | 100 | $3,567 |
| 2 | Erwin Technical Center Fla. |
89 | 85 | 12 | $2,887 | 71 | $5,189 |
| 3 | Altamaha Technical College Ga. |
66 | 59 | 12 | $2,100 | 97 | $5,415 |
| 4 | Flint Hills Technical College Kan. |
77 | 67 | 12 | $4,180 | 90 | $5,248 |
| 5 | White Mountains Community College N.H. |
63 | 42 | 7 | $7,696 | 92 | $5,510 |
| 6 | Linn State Technical College Mo. |
77 | 57 | 12 | $5,550 | 95 | $6,072 |
| 7 | North Central Kansas Technical College Kan. |
65 | 81 | 10 | $4,441 | 83 | $4,287 |
| 8 | Charlotte Technical Center Fla. |
74 | 55 | 7 | $3,386 | 66 | $4,184 |
| 9 | Mayland Community College N.C. |
89 | 47 | 9 | $2,243 | 61 | $4,652 |
| 10 | Colby Community College Kan. |
68 | 51 | 10 | $2,944 | 97 | $4,181 |
| 11 | Lake Area Technical Institute S.D. |
82 | 69 | 16 | $5,776 | 94 | $4,972 |
| 12 | Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Pa. |
64 | 47 | 15 | $6,830 | 80 | $10,267 |
| 13 | Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas Ark. |
53 | 17 | 7 | $2,550 | 97 | $5,401 |
| 14 | Dawson Community College Mont. |
63 | 56 | 13 | $4,245 | 95 | $6,139 |
| 15 | Rowan-Cabarrus Community College N.C. |
77 | 34 | 13 | $2,250 | 95 | $5,418 |
| 16 | Southeastern Technical College Ga. |
55 | 41 | 12 | $2,498 | 99 | $5,974 |
| 17 | Traviss Career Center Fla. |
30 | 66 | 8 | $2,845 | 100 | $2,840 |
| 18 | Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Wis. |
72 | 41 | 10 | $3,571 | 84 | $4,660 |
| 19 | Cleveland Community College N.C. |
63 | 40 | 11 | $2,222 | 83 | $5,268 |
| 20 | Imperial Valley College Calif. |
75 | 28 | 29 | $1,038 | 84 | $5,656 |
| 21 | Northwest Louisiana Technical College La. |
58 | 58 | 21 | $1,494 | 88 | $4,898 |
| 22 | Acadiana Technical College, Lafayette campus La. |
63 | 52 | 16 | $1,474 | 80 | $4,647 |
| 23 | Western Piedmont Community College N.C. |
60 | 26 | 10 | $2,155 | 86 | $5,831 |
| 24 | Southwest Georgia Technical College Ga. |
56 | 36 | 13 | $2,048 | 95 | $5,655 |
| 25 | Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute N.M. |
43 | 21 | 17 | $675 | 80 | $4,490 |
*Undergrads are full-time, first-time students. ** Aid includes grants from federal, state, local and institutional sources.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics.
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