Minnesota State Community and Technical College has been named the No. 1 Best Community College in Minnesota, and eight of the college’s online degree and certificate programs have earned national Top 10 honors, from three leading college planning websites.
The Best Community College in Minnesota designation was awarded to M State by Niche.com, while the online program Top 10 rankings, including three No. 1 spots, out of all two-year colleges in the U.S., are from BestColleges.com and EduMed.org.
M State’s BestColleges.com Top 10 rankings:
- #1 Best Online Associate in Human Resources Program
- #1 Best Online Associate in Health Information Technology Program
- #4 Best Online Associate in Computer Programming Program
- #5 Best Online Associate in Paralegal Program
- #6 Best Online Associate in Information Technology Program
- #10 Best Online Associate in Accounting Program
M State’s EduMed.org Top 10 rankings:
- #1 Best Online Mental and Behavioral Health Certificate
- #6 Best Online Medical Administrative Assistant Program
“We are thrilled that M State has been named the Best Community College in Minnesota, and that so many of our online programs have been recognized as being among the best in the nation,” says M State President Carrie Brimhall. “The rankings speak to the outstanding quality and affordability of M State and M State’s academic programs. We as a college work hard to provide a high quality, low cost education to every M State student, every day, to make good on our promise of ‘A success story for every student.’”
Niche.com is the nation’s market leader in higher education research and college planning. The website uniquely combines online reviews made by current college students, parents and alumni, with in-depth school data from the U.S. Department of Education. Factors like academics, value, athletics and campus life are incorporated into the site’s annual college rankings. This year, the site refined its methodology to highlight colleges whose students are able to improve their economic status after graduation.
“With tuition fees rising and strong workforce opportunities for high school grads, students and their families want to know they’ll see a return on their investment before committing to a college education,” says Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche.com. “Our new Economic Mobility Index, along with transparent net tuition price data on all college profiles, helps students consider the real cost of attending, as well as their potential future earnings after graduation.”
BestColleges.com and EduMed.org are both considered top online authorities in college planning, with the latter focused specifically on online or hybrid health, nursing and medical programs. EduMed.org determines its annual college program rankings based on factors like accessibility, affordability and school commitment to student success. BestColleges.com looks at academic quality, academic outcomes, tuition cost, counseling, career placement services, student-to-faculty ratios, and the breadth and depth of online learning opportunities.
“Among numerous higher education institutions, Minnesota State Community and Technical College has emerged as a standout due to its commitment to academic standards and unwavering dedication to student success,” states BestColleges.com in a congratulatory email to M State. “We commend you on this remarkable achievement and the recognition of your high-quality degree programs.”
A member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities, M State (Minnesota State Community and Technical College) serves more than 6,500 students in credit courses each year in over 70 career and liberal arts programs online and in-person at its campuses in Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Moorhead and Wadena. The college also partners with communities to provide workforce development services and other responsive training programs to 500 businesses and 9,000 participants.