The North Carolina Community College System is the third in the U.S. with over 750,000 enrollments in 58 institutions. These community colleges are part of three landforms of North Carolina that make up three major geographic regions of the state: the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and the (Appalachian) Mountains. The Coastal Plain generates potential for farming, recreation, and manufacturing. Piedmont (which houses the six largest cities) has a sundry of agriculture, government, manufacturing, research, and technology. More than 200 mountains rising more than 5,000 feet is the focal feature of the Mountains region which adds to the array which is evident in the geography.
Based on the North Carolina College rankings on Howtogetin.com, the top five community colleges from first to last are Samson Community College, Western Piedmont Community College, Haywood Community College, Edgecombe Community College, and Southeastern Community College. These top community colleges are rated by real students who have attended North Carolina colleges. Students reviewed seven experience categories: Happy with College, Academics, Students, Faculty, Town, Campus Life and Amenities with a one to five star rating on each. This ranking is unlike the U.S. public and private educational institutions rankings that are statistical and centered on U.S. government assessments and education institution information of the schools. Read more about their rankings at www.stateuniversity.com/about/rank#ixzz1Bit51LNO .
With the highest overall star rating of A+, Sampson Community College located in Clinton (Coastal Plain region) offers 21 majors in 11 areas of study such as Agriculture, Mechanic and Repair Technologies and Precision Production trades. These areas of studies suit agreeably with the region’s attributes. SCC has an open admission policy, a type of indiscriminate and non-competitive college admissions process. Visit the SCC Newsroom for campus news bulletins on their website. According to Braintrack.com, some of SCC highlights include several programs offerings, affordable tuition, and outstanding faculty-to-student ratio. Although, their overall rating was an A+, SCC did fall beneath their overall rating in the quality of professors and athletics with a B- in which the only criteria for entrance is a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. The 2010-2011 estimated In- State/Out-of-State tuition is $1490/$7903. You may contact Sampson Community College on their website at http://www.sampsoncc.edu for more information.
Western Piedmont Community College is positioned in the Piedmont region in the town of Morganton. Reader’s Digest included Morganton in a list of top ten places to raise a family. The town was highlighted in The 50 Best Small Southern Towns. WPCC comes in a close second also with an A+ but fall short with a B- in diversity, athletics, and campus dining. Tuition costs for In-State/Out-of-State students are $1315/$7187 which fall below the average of the top 5. Western Piedmont Community College offers 39 majors in 14 areas of study such as Agriculture Operations, Law and Legal Studies, and Natural Resources and Reservation. For more detailed information visit WPCC website at http://www.wpcc.edu . Follow the available links for prospective and current students, as well as a method to give to WPCC. According to StateUniversity.com, Western Piedmont Community College ranks number 110th of North Carolina Colleges.
Haywood County’s only institution of higher education is Haywood Community College which is located in Mountain’s region city of Clyde. HCC rated an A+ but received a lower score of a B- in nightlife, campus parking, and dining. Current In-State/Out-of-State tuition fees estimated for this semester is $1560/$7975 . Visit the website for Haywood Community College at www.Haywood.edu . There is a Quick Links area where you can apply online, apply for scholarships, or see the continuing education schedule which includes a Quillon dagger class from January 24th – 28th. A student has 39 majors within 15 areas of study to choose from including Visual and Performing Arts, Construction Trades, and Engineering. The top five studies currently completed by students at Haywood Community College are Child Care and Support Services Management, Liberal Studies, Cosmetology, Nursing and Medical Assistant. Athletics offered here are Men and Women’s Intramural Basketball, Softball, and Volleyball.
Edgecombe Community College in Tarboro is 72 miles from its capital city of Raleigh and 20 miles from Rocky Mount, a city growing very quickly in the Coastal Plain region. ECC ranked with an overall an A- , scoring a B+ in local atmosphere and weather; B- in off-campus housing and dining, athletics, campus dining, and parking; a C in campus strictness, and a D- in Greek Life. ECC ranks in the top 2000 in the U.S. and 49th in North Carolina. Special Opportunities Learning offered is distance learning and weekend courses. Popular fields to study at Edgecombe are: Childcare, Allied Health, Nursing, Health Information, and Liberal Arts. The student environment is diversified with the age groups under and over 25 being almost equal, as well as the population among African Americans and Whites. In/State/Out-of-State tuition fees are estimated at $1521/$7931 with book supplies at $1500. For information regarding Edgecombe Community College, visit www.Edgecombe.edu . A virtual tour of the college is available for viewing.
Southeastern Community College is the only City of Columbus County with being near to the prevalent beaches of North Carolina and South Carolina and also in the Coastal Plain region. SCC is ranked 5th with an A-. 100% of the students who participated said that faculty were unhelpful and polled weather and parking with a B-. Tuition approximation for In-State/Out-of-State students is $1109/$7959 which are greatly lower than average community college expenses. SCC grants a variety of continuing education courses in Columbus County which provides to more than 4,000 adults a year. Over 50 occupational and liberal arts curriculum programs are offered by the SCC. For more information please contact Southeastern at www.sccnc.edu where you can find detailed information on admissions and financial aid. For a community college offering low expenses, Southeastern places emphasis on Student Services such as remedial services, career placement, and on-campus day care which only a handful of higher education institutions offer.
On StateUniversity.com, the only top 5 community college mentioned in this article that is listed on their 2010 top 50 college rankings is Edgecombe Community College which is ranked at number 49. Last year ECC ranked at 94. Overall, the top 5 community colleges rates as follows from the best ranked on StateUnviersity.com: Edgecombe is listed at 1433rd nationally and 49th in North Carolina; Haywood ranks nationwide 1675th and statewide 61st; Sampson rated as 2364th nationwide and 101st statewide; Western Piedmont ranks 2641st nationally and 110th in North Carolina;; and Southeastern was not ranked overall, but ranked 3836th for total cost of attendance and 5634th for the average student loan amount. No other scored information was listed for SCC.
