AACC Named Best Community College In America: Study

ARNOLD, MD — Anne Arundel Community College is the best two-year school in the country, a team of data scientists concluded. The group at Academic Influence noted that AACC's influential graduates and successful programs were the main reasons it took home the top slot.

"We’re excited and humbled to be ranked number one in the country," AACC President Dawn Lindsay said in a press release last Wednesday. "It affirms the work we do and the impact that our faculty, staff, students and alumni have on our community."

Academic Influence lauded AACC graduates Edward Snowden, a National Security Agency whistleblower, and Robin Newhouse, the dean of the Indiana University School of Nursing. The website also cheered these programs at the school:

• Law
• Criminal Justice
• Computer Science
• Business
• Medical
• Sociology
• Education
• Engineering

As decided by Academic Influence, the top 10 community colleges are:

1. Anne Arundel Community College (Maryland)
2. Roxbury Community College (Massachusetts)
3. Eastern Maine Community College (Maine)
4. Springfield Technical Community College (Massachusetts)
5. College of Marin (California)
6. Los Angeles City College (California)
7. Lamar Institute of Technology (Texas)
8. Kennedy-King College (Illinois)
9. West Kentucky Community and Technical College (Kentucky)
10. Lamar State College - Port Arthur (Texas)

Two other Maryland schools ranked highly in the study. Montgomery College took home the No. 11 slot. Baltimore City Community College came in at No. 50.

Academic Influence evaluated 839 colleges in its study. The school ranking website used quantifiable data to make its decisions. To qualify, a community college must:

1. Be fully accredited
2. Have at least 1,000 students
3. Mainly offer associate degrees

The scientists then analyzed how many influential graduates and faculty members each college has, proportionate to the size of its student body. More information on the review and its methodology is available here.

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• AACC Named Best Nursing School In Maryland: Survey

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