Maryland Community Colleges Rank Third in the Nation; CSM Ranks Third Best in State and 51st in U.S.

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) received top national and regional ratings from personal finance gurus WalletHub for providing students with affordable and accessible education while maintaining good teacher-student ratio, transfer rates and outcomes. Maryland’s 16 community colleges ranked third best overall in the nation while CSM ranked third best in the state and landed in the number 51 spot out of 698 community colleges across the United States.

“I am not surprised that CSM has ranked in the top 7 percent nationwide in this analysis,” said CSM President Maureen Murphy. “We are dedicated to transforming lives through lifelong learning and service. Staying affordable and accessible is critical for every student’s success.”

WalletHub performed a state-by-state analysis to compare community colleges based on 18 metrics including tuition costs, transfer rates, student loan defaults, teacher-student ratio and per-pupil spending. In Maryland, CSM ranks third behind Montgomery College and Carroll Community College.

Drawing on the WalletHub’s findings of the best and worst individual community colleges in the U.S., other states in the top 10 spots include Wyoming, Washington, Hawaii, Connecticut, New Mexico, New York, California, Arkansas and South Dakota.

“University education is out of reach for many Americans, especially those from low-income households,” WalletHub stated in its findings. “But thanks to community colleges, higher education is more accessible than ever. Compared with public four-year institutions, where tuition and fees cost almost three times as much on average, community colleges offer many savings for students.”