MCC Ranked 19th Best Community College in U.S., Nursing Program Tops List

Muskegon Community College has been ranked as the 19th best community college in the U.S., and the best choice nationally for community college nursing programs by Intelligent.com.

A trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, the Seattle-based Intelligent.com recently announced its Top 50 Community Colleges for 2021.

This list focuses on community colleges and technical or vocational schools, most of which offer associates degrees and professional certificates, although some schools also offer bachelor’s degrees.

“In evaluating these institutions, we prioritized affordability, program selection, reputation, faculty, and course delivery methods, including online, in-person, and hybrid classes,” noted intelligent.com. “To ensure that the community colleges on our list provide a high quality of education, we prioritized institutions that are regionally accredited. Schools with regional accreditation are eligible for more federal financial aid, and it is easier to transfer credits from these types of schools to other higher education institutions.”

Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment. The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system that includes student engagement, the potential return on investment, and leading third-party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 1,187 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 50 making it to the final list.

To access the complete ranking, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/best-community-colleges/.

“The intelligent.com ranking validates the hard work by our faculty and staff, our commitment to excellence, and our exemplary service to our community,” said MCC President Dale K. Nesbary. “Moreover, this ranking represents a continuation of excellence at MCC. It is the fourth time in five years that MCC has been ranked among the top community colleges in the state (twice at #1) and the second time we have been ranked among the top in the nation (#27 and #19).”

“Community colleges provide students with a convenient, affordable way to earn an associate degree, continue their post-secondary education with a professional certificate program, or begin their undergraduate studies with general education classes,” noted intelligent.com in its release.

The publication, in highlighting the nation’s community colleges, observed that:

The average annual tuition at two-year colleges is $3,770. By comparison, annual full-time tuition is $10,560 at four-year public universities and $37,650 at four-year private universities for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jobs requiring a certificate will increase by 11.5 percent. Six percent of occupations require professional certification as the minimum level of education for entry, but that number will nearly double by 2024.
The median annual salary for associate degree holders is $52,830. By comparison, individuals whose highest level of education is a high school degree earn a median annual salary of $36,100.
“Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree,” stated intelligent.com. “In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Community Colleges.”

For more information about intelligent.com, contact Jase Beard at (800) 856-4908 or jasebeard@intelligent.com.

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