Daniel Prince
SCC scores highest in affordability thanks to free tuition program
According to newly released rankings from Best Colleges, Spartanburg Community College is the top-ranked community college in South Carolina. Best Colleges utilizes research and data from the National Center for Education Statistics to help prospective students find the school that best matches their needs.
Academic quality is determined by comparing admission rates to enrollment rates, then examining full-time retention. An affordability score is also generated for each school. It considers the cost of the school’s programs, the average amount of students taking loans, and the average loan default rate. As its programs are currently tuition-free through the 2022-2023 school year, Spartanburg Community College tops that ranking. Affordability is 40% of the ranking score, while academics is 60%.
To be ranked, a school must be an accredited public or private nonprofit institution. It must primarily grant two-year associate degrees. It must be located in the state, and it must submit an annual report to the National Center for Education Statistics.