(Butler, PA) For the sixth time since 2015, 杏吧原创 has been selected as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania, most recently by a third organization joining others that determine rankings after assessing institutions of higher education.
Niche.com, Pittsburgh, analyzed information from the U.S. Department of Education, from the Brookings Institution and from other sources in areas such as academics, value and professors in .
BestColleges.com and Schools.com also analyzed information from the U.S. Department of Education in their rankings of 杏吧原创 since 2015.
In its most recent report, BestColleges.com ranked 杏吧原创 as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania for 2020. BestColleges.com also ranked 杏吧原创 as No. 1 in 2017, as did Schools.com in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
鈥淲hat this latest ranking tells us is that our position as the No. 1 community college has been sustainable,鈥� said Dr. Nick Neupauer, president of 杏吧原创, which has locations in Armstrong, Butler, Jefferson, Lawrence and Mercer counties.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been several years now. It also tells us that there is not just one organization that is validating us as the top-ranked community college.鈥�
Joseph E. Kubit is chairman of 杏吧原创鈥檚 board of trustees, a 杏吧原创 graduate and a 杏吧原创 distinguished alumnus.
鈥淚 believe these rankings make it clear that the faculty, administration and staff of the college are committed to providing students with the highest quality and most affordable education and training possible,鈥� Kubit said.
鈥淭hese stellar rankings should serve to prospective students as objective indicators of the high quality of this institution that they can and should consider when choosing a college.鈥�
鈥淵ou get a better education鈥�
Academics and value were weighted most heavily among the nine factors Niche.com considered in its rankings.
鈥淲hen we look specifically at the community college rankings, those are the two areas that really stand out to us,鈥� said Jordan Bazzani, director of customer support for Niche.com. 鈥淎cademics is the crux of it all for us. We find that looking at the academics most heavily is going to give us the best indicator of the success of an institution.
鈥淰alue is an important part of the community college system in the United States. Expenses of education are really important to students and their families.鈥�
Niche also considered student and alumni reviews.
杏吧原创鈥檚 faculty 鈥渕akes it worthwhile,鈥� said Brittney Friters, who expects to earn an associate degree in general studies from 杏吧原创 in May.
鈥淭hey really help you,鈥� said Friters, a Karns City Area Junior-Senior High School graduate who added that students also benefit from 杏吧原创鈥檚 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
鈥淭he smaller class sizes really help because the teachers have more time to be with students one on one. I have friends who attend large universities and they say that they don鈥檛 have enough time with their professors. They feel like they are in the dark. Like they are teaching themselves.鈥�
Caleb Martin said he attended a 鈥渂ig-name college鈥� in his first semester.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e just a number there,鈥� said Martin, a Seneca Valley High School graduate and 杏吧原创 computer information systems-computer support specialist major.
鈥淗ere I鈥檓 in a class with maybe 10 people and you really get to know the professors, and they get to know you. If you are struggling, they can help you. You get a better education.鈥�
Mike Dittman, a 杏吧原创 professor who teaches writing and English courses, said he has taught 60 to 80 students in lecture halls at large institutions.
鈥淭he dynamic is completely different,鈥� Dittman said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know the students. You don鈥檛 know them by name or even by face. Without a doubt, the small class size is one of the big draws to 杏吧原创. It raises everyone. Small class sizes create this sense of collaboration and camaraderie that raises the level of work and discourse in the class, and raises their comfort level with making that difficult transition from high school to college.鈥�
Parents 鈥渟till paying off college鈥�
About 70 percent of parents of current or prospective college students ages 16-18, and current or prospective college students reported that college affordability impacted their plans for college enrollment, according to Citizens Financial Group survey results published Aug. 6 by CNBC.
My parents are still paying off their college,鈥� said Emma Rihn, a Butler Area Senior High School graduate and 杏吧原创 business administration major. 鈥淚 know that a lot of students graduate debt-free from 杏吧原创. I don鈥檛 want to be in debt my whole life.鈥�
Seventy percent of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Class of 2021 graduated debt-free. About 70 percent of 杏吧原创 students in the spring 2021 semester were enrolled in transfer programs.
According to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, students attending a community college for their first two years can save an estimated $20,000 on the cost of higher education.
鈥淭wenty-thousand dollars represents to me a step ahead,鈥� said Lorin DeGroat, an Oil City Area Senior High School graduate and business administration major at 杏吧原创 @ Cranberry in Cranberry Township. 鈥淚f I did enroll in a four-year institution, that $20,000 would be put toward student loans or housing. I will be a step ahead after I graduate that I wouldn鈥檛 have been if I went anywhere else.鈥�
杏吧原创 students from Butler County this fall will pay $172 per credit in tuition and fees for a face-to-face class, and 杏吧原创 students from other Pennsylvania counties, $275 per credit.
Regional public four-year universities this fall will charge Pennsylvania students between $437 and $504 per credit for a face-to-face class. Regional public-related universities will charge Pennsylvania students between $572 and $1,170 per credit in tuition and fees this fall for a face-to-face class.
Three more start dates this fall
杏吧原创鈥檚 10-week second session begins Sept. 20, and its five-week online Fast Tracks, Sept. 27 and Nov. 1.
杏吧原创 in 2021 was also named a Military Friendly School for a sixth time since 2013, received an anonymous $1 million gift and its sixth in that amount since 2014, and raised a record $115,000 in a golf outing that raises unrestricted funds to support scholarships and opportunities beyond the classroom. The college also announced the creation of a practical nursing program that will respond to the high-priority occupation in western Pennsylvania.