New rankings say 4,500 student Northern Oklahoma College is the eighth-best community college in the U.S.
WalletHub's analysis of 728 institutions is based on factors such as tuition and fees, education outcomes, and starting salaries after graduation. NOC President Cheryl Evans said the rankings recognize things the college does well.
"Our students transfer successfully to four-year institutions, and also they get great outcomes if they're going straight to the workforce," Evans said.
The next-highest Oklahoma school is Murray State College in Tishomingo at 172nd. Tulsa Community College is 326th.
One-third of the score used in WalletHub’s rankings is based on career outcomes, where NOC ranks fifth overall. Analyst Jill Gonzalez said NOC ranks first in return on educational investment.
"People are making about 200 percent more than they spent ... on school," Gonzalez said.
Evans said NOC's nursing and allied health programs are big contributors to that.
"We serve a rural area, and we have hospitals needing qualified nurses in particular," Evans said. "And those are competitive salaries."
Oklahoma's entire community college system ranked 14th. That ranking comes from the average of individual institutions’ scores on cost and finance measures, education outcomes, and career outcomes.
Oklahoma may have been dragged down a bit because of falling state spending. Evans said about 15 years ago, state funding accounted for 70 percent of NOC’s budget.
"This year, 30 percent of our operating budget comes from state-appropriated funds, so, unfortunately, the cost has shifted to families and students," Evans said.
The neighboring states closest to Oklahoma in the rankings were No. 18 Kansas and No. 19 Arkansas.
