November 4, 2024
After a steady climb over the past several years, Northland Community and Technical College claimed top honors in the annual college rankings report published by finance website WalletHub. Northland was named the best community college in Minnesota (18th nationwide), besting more than 600 schools across the nation.
WalletHub surveys two-year colleges across the country to determine where students get the best education at the most affordable price. Schools are ranked based on how they scored for 18 key indicators like total cost, academic quality, student-to-faculty ratio, graduation rate and career outcomes for graduates.
Affordability
With inflation continuing to impact families across the board, affordability remains one of the most important factors for many would-be students. Community colleges have always provided opportunities at a lower cost compared to four-year schools, and the report shows they’ve been able to buck the national inflation trend far better than both public and private institutions.
According to their analysis, during the 2023 to 2024 academic year, tuition and fees for full-time, in-state enrollment at a public two-year college averaged just $3,990 per year — up just $130 year-over-year. Compare that to $11,260 (up $310) at a public four-year institution and $41,540 (up $2,140) at a four-year private school.
“As a community college, it is our duty to serve the interests of our community,” said interim President Shari Olson. “Keeping costs down is one of our biggest goals year after year, as we want every student who has the desire and the drive to have the opportunity to get a quality education. Our role is to change lives and set students up for lifelong success.”
Quality and career outlook
Cassandra Happe, a WalletHub analyst who helped assemble the latest ranking report, pointed out the balance they look for between affordability and quality of education offered by community colleges.
“A good community college minimizes costs for students while also providing an enriching learning experience that leads to high student retention and high graduation rates,” Happe said. “The best colleges also help their students even post-graduation by offering employment services to help them find jobs with good salaries.”
Northland’s graduation rates are perhaps topped only by its high job placement rates for graduates. Many programs see students landing jobs before even walking through graduation. The school maintains strong partnerships with many local employers, in diverse industries from healthcare to manufacturing to aerospace.
“Our students are being trained for technical careers that are paramount to local economic growth,” Olson said. “Our community has no shortage of open positions that need to be filled by skilled workers, and we are committed to the partnerships we’ve forged with local businesses and industries — including Northrop Grumman, Marvin, Digi-Key, Altru, Sanford Health, and more — to support our graduates’ entry into the workforce.”