How 3 Colorado community colleges rank in study of best in US

DENVER ( KDVR ) — A recent study ranked some of the best community colleges in the country during the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

WalletHub released rankings of the best and worst community colleges , which were ultimately determined by the best education at the lowest price.

Across the country, over 650 community colleges were compared by factors like the cost of in-state tuition, first-year retention rate, graduation rate, student-faculty ratio, median salary after attending and more.

Best community colleges in Colorado

There are many community colleges across Colorado, however, only three made the list.

While these three colleges ranked in the top half of colleges overall in the study and rank fairly close together, a few rank drastically better in price or education.

Northeastern Junior College ranks on the higher end of cost in the country, with the website citing tuition over $5,000. However, it’s among the 100 best in the country for education outcomes.

Meanwhile, Lamar Community College and Community College of Aurora rank better than Northeastern based on price, but not as well in education.

Lamar ranks the best overall in Colorado because it ranks on the lower end in price while on the higher end of education. However, they all rank similarly because while Lamar is cheaper, Northeastern has a better education outcome and Aurora has the best career outcome out of the three colleges.

The full list of colleges in the country can be found on WalletHub.

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