North Florida Community College is receiving national recognition as “2015’s Best Community College” after landing the #1 spot on WalletHub’s recent ranking of 670 community colleges across the nation. The comparison looked at 17 metrics ranging from the cost of in-state tuition and fees to student-faculty ratio and focused on four key areas - cost and financing, classroom experience, education outcomes and career outcomes. “Indeed, the ‘junior colleges,’ as they’re sometimes referred to, are finally garnering the respect they deserve,” said Richie Bernardo, author of the ranking and personal finance writer at WalletHub. “Schedule flexibility, rigorous coursework and smaller class sizes supply the majority of their appeal to first-time college entrants as well as to university students choosing to transfer to community colleges.” The report further notes that community colleges are doing a good job at “stacking up against their traditional four-year counterparts” and that some community college graduates are now out-earning bachelor’s degree holders. According to NFCC President John Grosskopf, this is a message that he and other leaders in the Florida College System have been promoting for some time. “We constantly hear positive feedback from our students and see examples everyday of how NFCC is helping our local residents improve their lives, the lives of their families, and their communities through the education and training they receive here on our campus,” said Grosskopf. “NFCC and the Florida College System play an essential role in Florida’s education system and economy and there is no doubt that our students receive the best education, resources and opportunities available.”
In 2013, NFCC landed the #2 spot in the “Best Community Colleges” category of Washington Monthly magazine’s national college rankings. Both reports are based in part on results of the annual Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) conducted by the University of Texas at Austin. NFCC traditionally scores well above the national average in the five benchmarks that CCSSE uses to evaluate effective education practices. NFCC consistently posts high marks for providing students with quality instruction, an abundance of active and collaborative learning opportunities, support for learning, and outstanding student-faculty interaction. “I could not be more proud of our college and its dedicated faculty and staff,” said Grosskopf. A total of nine Florida College System colleges were named among the top 100 in WalletHub’s ranking including NFCC (#1), Chipola College (#3), Broward (#13), Florida Gateway College (#17), South Florida State College (#30), Valencia College (#34), Tallahassee Community College (#61), Daytona State College (#66) and Florida State College at Jacksonville (#84). For more information, contact the NFCC College Advancement Office at (850) 973-1613 or news@nfcc.edu.