This community college in Missouri is the best in the United States, report says

Of hundreds of community colleges in the U.S., which one reigns supreme? It’s right here in the Show Me State.

State Technical College of Missouri in Linn is the best community college in the country, according to a new report by personal finance website Wallethub released Thursday.

Linn is just southeast of Jefferson City. State Tech also has a campus in St. Charles.

Arkansas State University - Mountain Home nabbed the No. 2 spot, followed by the College of San Mateo in California. Northwest Iowa Community College and Northern Wyoming Community College District rounded out the top five.

Missouri’s statewide community college system ranked 25th.

To determine the best community colleges in the country, the team at Wallethub compared 698 member schools in the American Association of Community Colleges.

The schools were assessed on 18 key factors across three categories including education outcomes, career outcomes and cost and financing, the report said.

State Tech garnered its highest score in the career outcomes category — ranking third — which looked at schools’ student loan default rate, median salary after attending the institution and the share of former students earning more than the average earning of a high school graduate, according to the report.

The school ranked No. 5 in the education outcomes category, which analyzed factors such as student to faculty ratio, graduation rate and the presence of a ”credit for life experience”option.

State Tech also had the highest graduation rate of any school on the list.

State Tech’s lowest ranking — 257th — came in the cost and financing category, which included factors such as in-state tuition and fees, availability of employment for students and school spending efficiency.

Enrollment at State Tech was 1,471 as of fall 2018, with Missouri residents accounting for 98% of students, according to the school. Of students that graduate, 99% are employed or seeking higher education within six months of leaving State Tech.

The school offers programs in disciplines including agriculture, business, construction and health sciences as well as manufacturing, computer and transportation technologies.

This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 8:27 AM with the headline "This community college in Missouri is the best in the United States, report says."