Maryland has the best community college system in the country, according to a new nationwide study released by personal finance company WalletHub.
WalletHub released its 2026 Best & Worst Community Colleges report along with its ranking of States With the Best & Worst Community Colleges, placing Maryland No. 1 overall among states for its community college system.
The study compared more than 610 community colleges across the country using 18 indicators of cost and quality. Factors considered include in-state tuition and fees, student-faculty ratio, graduation rate and other measures intended to evaluate the value students receive from their education.
Montgomery College ranked 26th nationally, placing it among the highest-rated community colleges in the country. Three other Maryland schools also performed particularly well. Prince George’s Community College ranked 19th nationally, Carroll Community College came in at No. 20, and Howard Community College followed Montgomery College at No. 27.
Maryland was the only state with four community colleges ranked among the top 27 nationally. State Technical College of Missouri earned the No. 1 individual ranking, followed by Manhattan Area Technical College in Kansas and Mesalands Community College in New Mexico.
In the state rankings, Maryland finished ahead of New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota and Oregon, which rounded out the top five community college systems in the country.
WalletHub’s Top 10 States With the Best Community College Systems:
- Maryland
- New Mexico
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- New Hampshire
- Wyoming
- Kansas
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
To read the full reports, please visit:
