Montgomery College secured tenth place in this year’s WalletHub ranking of the best and worst community colleges and was also named the best community college in Maryland.
WalletHub said Montgomery College, with campuses in Takoma Park/Silver Spring, Rockville and Germantown, as well as a recently opened East County Education Center in White Oak, stands out “due to high average graduate salaries, good student retention rates and the fact that it offers recognition for life experiences.”
Behind Montgomery College, Carroll Community College in Westminster ranked second in the state and Howard Community College in Columbia ranked third. Prince George’s Community College and Cecil College ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.
According to the report, Maryland’s public community college system first place in the countryfollowed by New Mexico and Connecticut.
WalletHub analyzed data from 668 community colleges in the U.S. and ranked them on 19 criteria, including tuition, availability of free community college education, transfer rates, and student loan default rates. All 668 schools in WalletHub’s rankings are members of the Washington, DC-based American Association of Community Colleges.
Community colleges offer students the opportunity to pursue higher education without a major financial burden. According to the report, full-time tuition at a public two-year college in the state averaged just $3,990 per year in 2023-24, compared to $11,260 at a public four-year institution and $41,540 at a four-year private school.
Community colleges also offer many other attractive benefits, such as flexible schedules, small class sizes, and challenging curricula. Some even offer four-year bachelor’s degrees in addition to two-year degree programs.
“A good community college minimizes costs for students while providing an enriching learning experience that leads to high student retention and high graduation rates,” said Cassandra Happe, an analyst at WalletHub. “The best colleges also help their students after graduation by offering job placement services to help them find well-paying jobs. Finally, many of the best community colleges recognize that school is not the only place people learn, so they offer credit for life experiences.”
The full report can be viewed on the WalletHub website.
Photo: “Montgomery College, Takoma Park – Silver Spring 10” by Farragutful is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
