GCCC Top 50 Schools for Transfer Success
[Garden City, KS] Oct. 9, 2019 - Garden City Community College has been named one of Student Loan Hero's top 50 schools in the country for successful transfer from community college to four-year university.
The rankings were based on transfer-out and graduation rates of students attending public two-year schools that grant less than half of their degrees and certifications for career or vocational training. GCCC shares a 17th place ranking with eight other two-year institutions, putting it in the top 25 out of 513 community colleges ranked overall.
GCCC Vice President for Instruction Marc Malone said the rankings confirm what administrators like himself already know about transfer success and the long-term benefits of an associate degree.
"A community college education remains one of the best entry points to a successful bachelor's degree on the market today," Malone said. "At GCCC our focus is making students successful. Our faculty are teachers first. Our class sizes are small by design to benefit the student. And our students find opportunities that successfully propel them to their next steps."
The rankings were based on data provided by the U.S. Dept. of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and schools were ranked by the combined number of students who either graduated or transferred out within three years of matriculation.
"It’s important to consider tuition costs before choosing a college," said Andrew Pentis, Student Loan Hero's lead researcher on the study. "Your school selection will likely be the result of a cost-benefit analysis - the very real cost to attend versus the potential benefit of moving into a four-year school."
In addition to better than average transfer and graduation rates, GCCC's default rate – the number of student borrowers who enter repayment but default on their student loans - is also lower than average: 7.5% at GCCC versus a national average of 10.1%., based on the most recent data available from the U.S. Dept. of Education.
For more information or to see a full list of rankings visit https://studentloanhero.com/featured/transferring-from-community-college-to-university/.
Garden City Community College exists to produce positive contributors to the economic and social well-being of society.
