The best community college in the United States is right here in central Missouri.
State Technical College of Missouri topped WalletHub's list of this year's best community colleges in the country.
The achievement marks the third consecutive year State Tech has stood at the top of its class in WalletHub's rankings.
"To maintain the top spot for three straight years is a complement to our employees, employers and the students that make State Tech the outstanding institution it is," State Tech President Shawn Strong said in a news release. "It's great to start another academic year as the number one two-year college in the country."
State Tech begins its fall semester next week with an orientation day Monday and classes starting Aug. 24.
WalletHub, a personal finance website, based its ranking of almost 700 colleges across the country on three main factors: career outcomes, education outcomes, and cost and financing.
Not only did State Tech secure the top ranking, it also had the best graduation rate of the colleges considered.
"What WalletHub measures aligns well to what we do at State Tech," Strong said. "We graduate students, and they get great paying jobs. We have one of the best graduation rates in the country and over 99 percent placement."
State Tech was also ranked the third best two-year college in the country by Forbes Magazine in 2018 and in 2020 was named the fourth best two-year college in the nation by Brookings, a research group founded in 1916.
"When we received our first number one in the country ranking a few years ago, we celebrated," Strong said. "In the back of my mind I was thinking how are we going to top this? It is hard to stay on top, we have an incredible team that has kept us number one. I can't say enough about the employees we have here at State Tech."