FREEPORT — Website WalletHub ranks Highland Community College fifth out of 40 for best Illinois community colleges. Nationally, Highland ranked 419 of 685. The website ranked the colleges by low cost and high performance during the 2020-21 academic year.

The Aug. 16 article, entitled “2021’s Best & Worst Community Colleges,” used three key criteria to evaluate the colleges: cost and financing, education outcomes and career outcomes.

“The fall semester started on campus and online this week. This announcement adds to the excitement for the new academic year and the group effort it took to get us here,” said Chris Kuberski, Highland Community College President. “This ranking solidifies the hard work made by our faculty and staff to make sure students have the best college experience and outcome no matter what the circumstances.”

Based on the WalletHub website, community colleges offer high education without the financial strain of more prominent colleges and universities. According to their findings, the average tuition and fees for full-time, in-state enrollment at a public two-year college are $3,770 per year at a community college versus $10,560 at a public four-year college or university.

WalletHub also says that qualities like flexible schedules, smaller class sizes, and rigorous coursework appeal to students who need a balance between family and work. Transfer students who earn their general education credits can save money while still receiving a high-quality education before earning a bachelor’s degree.

Other schools ranked for Illinois are Sauk Valley Community College at number 13; Kishwaukee College at 18; and Rock Valley College at number 31.

“Individual community colleges, however, vary in quality and affordability,” WalletHub stated on their website. “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. Our data set ranges from the cost of in-state tuition and fees to student-faculty ratio to graduation rate.”

WalletHub is a personal finance website that produces various research reports and surveys for consumers. To find a link to the article and learn more about Highland Community College, go to highland.edu/news.