Students are heading back to classrooms all over the D.C. area and that includes thousands going to community colleges this fall. A new study shows the region has some of the best in the country.
Maryland is the No. 1 state in the entire country for community colleges, according to a recent WalletHub study.
“What Maryland does well as far as schools is they tend to offer high median salaries after graduation,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told WTOP, saying many of the schools saw graduates get initial jobs starting in the high $40,000-range.
In total, Maryland had seven schools in the top 55 after analyzing over 650 different community colleges nationwide.
“Community college, on the surface, sounds like a good idea from an economic standpoint, but you don’t always get a quality experience,” Lupo said. “Not all schools give you the best bang for your buck, and according to the data, Maryland definitely does that.”
Montgomery College in Rockville ranked No. 10.
“The highest median salary among the Maryland schools at just over $49,000 after graduation,” said Lupo.
Montgomery College had great career services and a low student loan debt default rate.
“But what kept it from advancing much beyond the 10 rank is that it does have high-end state tuition costs and lower graduation rates,” Lupo said.
The graduation rate for Montgomery College sat at around 27%.
Carroll Community College came in 29th and Howard Community College ranked No. 32 in the nation. Prince George’s Community College came in at No. 36.
As a state, Virginia fell to the middle of the pack at 26 in terms of best community colleges.
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