4 Of Nation's Top Community Colleges Are In CT: Here's How They Ranked

CONNECTICUT — Although a healthy debate now rages over whether everyone needs to go to college, there's no question the cost of higher education continues to rise.

Between 1980 and 2020, the average price of tuition, fees, and room and board for an undergraduate degree increased 169 percent, although that skyrocket stalled slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Forbes.

For those who do choose the ivy-covered path, the best option may be a compromise. Students who earn their general-education credits at a community college before transferring to an in-state public four-year university can save $7,000 a year on the average.

That option is especially attractive in Connecticut, which has the best community college system in the country, according to a new report from personal finance website WalletHub.

To create their list of the best community colleges, WalletHub's analysts had to first go deep into the performance weeds of the American Association of Community Colleges membership. They created individual school scores based on cost, financing, education outcomes and career outcomes.

The top community college in the country, according to WallletHub's rankings, is State Technical College of Missouri, with a score of 71.02. Connecticut and Oregon were the only states to place as many as four of their community colleges in the Top 20.

Naugatuck Valley Community College, with campuses in Waterbury and Danbury, was the top ranked Connecticut school in the WalletHub rankings, scoring 63.75. NVCC has currently enrolled students ranging from their teens through 70-years-old. The average age of their student body is approximately 25, with 64 percent of students under 25 and 36 percent over, according to the school's website.

Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted and Manchester Community College, both scoring 63.71, were No. 2 and No. 3 on the list.

Good value and smart option, or not, enrollment at community colleges is on the decline, dropping faster than the decline in 4-year undergrad programs, both private and public. Community colleges have lost over 827,000 students since the start of the pandemic, and it is becoming more expensive to keep them open.

Everrett Smith, an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati's School of Education, explained that schools may be doing almost too good a job churning out well-paid teachers:

"A challenge for community colleges is keeping up with the cost of a highly educated labor force as the latter increases faster than economic variables like inflation. Personnel costs represent one of the largest portions of administrative budgets and employing well-trained graduates as instructors can have a consequential impact on the outlook of community colleges’ bottom lines."