Alexandria College ranked third in nation for quality, cost

ALEXANDRIA — The accolades keep streaming in for Alexandria Technical and Community College.

This week, rankings from WalletHub named Alexandria College as the Best Community College in Minnesota for the third straight year. It was also ranked third in the nation.

This is the third time Alexandria College has been ranked in the top 10 nationwide by WalletHub’s “Best and Worst Community Colleges,” and the first year it’s been in the top five.

The Minnesota State system, which includes Alexandria College, also improved its ranking to No. 7 nationwide.

“Alexandria College’s reputation for quality and affordability remains legendary not only in Minnesota, but nationwide,” said Michael Seymour, president of Alexandria College. “No singular area of the college determines our growing list of best-in-class rankings. It is a result of the dedication and hard work of our faculty, staff and students.”

Alexandria College is also ranked a top college in Minnesota by Niche, UniversityHQ and College Consensus.

The lastest ranking considers quality and cost for the 2021-22 academic year. To determine where students can receive the best education at the lowest price, WalletHub compared more than 650 community colleges across 19 key indicators of cost and quality. Its data set ranged from the cost of in-state tuition and fees to student-faculty ratio to graduation rate.

As a financial website, WalletHub’s rankings focus on colleges providing the most value in three key metric areas: cost and financing; education outcomes; and career outcomes. For more details visit 2022's Best and Worst Community Colleges on WalletHub.

On its website, WalletHub noted that cost is often a major consideration when choosing a college. And with tuition rates continuing to rise every year — not to mention all the other expenses related to attendance — many would-be students are unable to afford a university education, according to WalletHub.

"That’s even more of a concern this year as lots of people deal with financial struggles caused by rising inflation and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," the website said.

WalletHub said that community colleges offer students the ability to get higher education without having as much financial strain. During the 2021 to 2022 academic year, tuition and fees for full-time, in-state enrollment at a public two-year college averaged $3,800 per year versus $10,740 at a public four-year institution and $38,070 at a four-year private school.

"Students who earn their general-education credits at a community college before transferring to an in-state public four-year university can potentially save a lot of money," WalletHub said.

Other than serving as an affordable option for education, community colleges have a number of attractive qualities, WalletHub said. They often provide more flexible schedules, smaller class sizes and rigorous coursework. Some even go beyond two-year programs to offer four-year bachelor’s degrees .

"These qualities advantages appeal especially to students who need to balance their studies with other commitments, such as family and work," said WalletHub.

To see a list of recent accolades Alexandria College has received, go to https://www.alextech.edu/recognition .