Plus Best & Worst Community Colleges
University education is out of reach for many Americans, especially those from low-income households. But thanks to community colleges, higher education is more accessible than ever. Compared with public four-year institutions, where tuition and fees cost almost three times as much on average, community colleges offer many savings for students.
Community colleges are an especially attractive option this year as many families deal with financial struggles caused by significant inflation. 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 they are in a better financial situation.
Some states make community college even more accessible than usual. For example, multiple states and numerous cities across the U.S. have started “College Promise” programs that give residents free rides to community college.
Despite the fact that community colleges can offer significant cost advantages, not every state offers schools of the same quality. Drawing on the findings of WalletHub of the best and worst individual community colleges in the U.S., we present a state-by-state ranking of community-college systems below.
“Community colleges are an especially attractive option this year as many families deal with inflated prices. 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 they are in a better financial situation.”
Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Cost is often a major consideration when choosing a college. And with tuition rates continuing to rise every year — not to mention all the other expenses related to attendance — many would-be students are unable to afford a university education. That’s even more of a concern this year as lots of people deal with financial struggles caused by significantinflation.
Community colleges offer students the ability to get higher education without having as much financial strain. During the 2024 to 2025 academic year, tuition and fees for full-time, in-state enrollment at a public two-year college averaged $4,050 per year versus $11,610 at a public four-year institution and $43,350 at a four-year private school. Students who earn their general-education credits at a community college before transferring to an in-state public four-year university can potentially save a lot of money.
Other than serving as an affordable, and in some cases free, option for education, community colleges have a number of attractive qualities. They often provide more flexible schedules, smaller class sizes and rigorous coursework. Some even go beyond two-year programs to offer four-year bachelor’s degrees. These qualities appeal especially to students who need to balance their studies with other commitments, such as family and work.
Individual community colleges, however, vary in quality and affordability. To determine where students can receive the best education at the lowest price, WalletHub compared more than 650 community colleges across 18 key indicators of cost and quality. Our data set ranges from the cost of in-state tuition and fees to student-faculty ratio to graduation rate.
Best Community Colleges in 2025
- State Technical College of Missouri
- Manhattan Area Technical College
- Pratt Community College
- Woodland Community College
- De Anza College
In-Depth Look at the States With the Best Community Colleges
Best State: Maryland
Maryland has the best community colleges, with its five best schools all ranking within the top 40 community colleges nationwide. Maryland is also one of the states that currently offers free community college education.
The top community college in Maryland is Montgomery College, which has several campuses in Montgomery County. This school ranks 17th 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
- Montgomery College (Rank 17 nationally)
- Prince George’s Community College (Rank 28 nationally)
- Carroll Community College (Rank 31 nationally)
- Howard Community College(Rank 32 nationally)
- The Community College of Baltimore County (Rank 36 nationally)
Second-Best State: New Mexico
New Mexico has the second-best community colleges, and its five best schools rank in the top 40 among more than 650 community colleges nationwide. The state also offers the opportunity for free community college to all New Mexico residents.
The best community college in New Mexico is Santa Fe Community College, which ranks as the seventh best in the U.S. One way that it stands out is that it has a high ratio of faculty to students. In addition, it brings in a lot of revenue from non-tuition sources like state and local taxes, gifts and grants, which allows it to invest a lot into making the education experience better for its students.
Top 5 Community Colleges in New Mexico
- Santa Fe Community College (Rank 7 nationally)
- Southeast New Mexico College (Rank 19 nationally)
- Central New Mexico Community College (Rank 22 nationally)
- San Juan College (Rank 25 nationally)
- Clovis Community College (Rank 37 nationally)
Third-Best State: Wisconsin
Wisconsin has the third-best community colleges, with its five best schools all ranking in the top 90 community colleges in the nation. Wisconsin colleges also offer employment services for students, and it prepares people well to advance to higher education since it has the sixth-best public schools in the nation.
The top community college in Wisconsin is Moraine Park Technical College. It offers services to help graduates find jobs, receives a lot of funding from private gifts, grants, and contracts, and it also offers credit for life experiences.
Top 5 Community Colleges in Wisconsin
- Moraine Park Technical College (Rank 24 nationally)
- Lakeshore Technical College (Rank 26 nationally)
- Fox Valley Technical College (Rank 34 nationally)
- Northwood Technical College (Rank 38 nationally)
- Mid-State Technical College (Rank 88 nationally)
In-Depth Look at the Best Community Colleges
State Technical College of Missouri
The State Technical College of Missouri, located in Osage County, MO, is the best community college, in part because 90% of students stay with the school from the first year to the second year, the best retention rate in the country, and 79% of students graduate – the best graduation rate in the country.
In addition, the school’s students receive the third-largest amount of grant or scholarship aid, at an average of $9,223 per student. This helps make it extremely unlikely that students will default on any loans they do have to take out.
Lastly, the State Technical College of Missouri also offers credit for life experiences and provides employment services to students, which can help them graduate more quickly and obtain jobs sooner.
Manhattan Area Technical College
Manhattan Area Technical College in Manhattan, KS, ranks as the second-best community college in 2025, in large part because it puts students on track for good future earnings. Over 77% of former students earn more than the average income of people with only a high school education (between ages 25 and 34). Graduates also have a median salary of nearly $52,000, the 12th-highest among the schools in our study. Plus, the college offers employment services to help students find jobs.
In addition, Manhattan Area Technical College has the lowest student-loan default rate, the fifth-highest graduation rate and the ninth-best retention rate of students between year one and year two.
Finally, Manhattan Area Technical College offers credit for certain life experiences such as volunteer experience or special training outside of school.
Pratt Community College
Pratt Community College, located in Pratt, KS, is the third-best community college in the U.S. Over 92 % of the college’s instructional and research staff are full-time employees, the third-highest rate in the country. In addition, Pratt graduates are very unlikely to default on their debt, and they have the 11th-highest median income, at $51,892.
Pratt also offers employment services for students and gives credit for life experiences. To top things off, students get fairly high grants and scholarships, at an average of over $6,700 each.
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