“I am so proud of our institution and this recognition by Schools.com,” said BC3 President Dr. Nick Neupauer. “These honors speak to the hard work of our faculty and staff at all of our BC3 campus locations.”

Schools.com gathered data on seven quantitative metrics in order to determine the best community colleges in Pennsylvania. Each school was scored on a five-point scale, using seven data points, and the weighted value (in parenthesis) for each category.

• Percentage of students enrolled in distance education (15 percent)
• Total cost of attendance (30 percent)
• Student-to-faculty ratio (5 percent)
• Average retention rate for full-and part-time students (5 percent)
• Graduation rate (5 percent)
• Number of transfer agreements per 1,000 students with other institutions in Pennsylvania (30 percent)
• Flexibility (10 percent)

According to the Schools.com report on BC3, an affordable tuition and a chart-topping PA TRAC transfer rate were the reasons the community college earned the number-one spot on the list. The report also noted BC3 has a higher percentage of graduates with completed degrees or certificates than all other schools except one and a well below average cost of attendance rate.

“The college’s number-one asset is our students,” said Dr. Neupauer. “Everything we do is for the benefit of these incredible and talented individuals. Being named Pennsylvania’s Best Community College is that much sweeter because our students benefit in the process.”

For more information including ranking methodology, visit the Schools.com.