Mesalands named the ninth “Best Community College” in the nation

August 28, 2017

Mesalands Community College is once again among the top community colleges in the nation, for affordability and performance outcomes. In a recent article entitled the “2017’s Best and Worst Community Colleges,” Mesalands was ranked the ninth best community college in the U.S., and the number one community college in New Mexico, according to WalletHub.com. In this same study last year, Mesalands was ranked the 12th best community college in the nation.

For this study, WalletHub analyzed 728 community colleges in the nation, to compare the following key dimensions: cost and financing, education outcomes, and career outcomes.

WalletHub then evaluated each dimension using 14 key indicators. Cost and financing included the following: cost of in-state tuition and fees, presence of free community college education, average amount of grant or scholarship aid received, per-student spending, school spending efficiency, and faculty salary. Education outcomes were comprised of the following: first-year retention rate, graduation rate, transfer-out rate, credentials awarded per 100 full-time equivalent students, student to faculty ratio, and the share of full-time faculty. Lastly was career outcomes, that assessed the return on educational investment for graduates and the institution’s student loan default rate. Data for this article was obtained from the U.S Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and the Council for Community and Economic Research and College Measures.

“I’m very proud of our faculty and staff and this designation is yet another confirmation of our culture of student success,” said Dr. Thomas W. Newsom, President of Mesalands Community College. “This distinction is a result of the hard work of not only the College, but the support we receive from the community and from the State of New Mexico.”

To view the article, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-community-colleges/15076/.