WINSTED, CT – Northwestern Connecticut Community College (NCCC) has been ranked the sixth best community college in the nation by the financial services website, WalletHub. And for the fifth year in a row – NCCC is rated number one in the state.

The recently released 2020 report by WalletHub evaluated more than 650 colleges across 18 key indicators for cost and quality. Findings are based on the three most important financial indicators: 1) cost and financing, 2) educational outcomes, and 3) career outcomes.

“I’d like to congratulate the staff and faculty at Northwestern who have worked so hard to maintain an ongoing level of quality for our students,” said NCCC President, Dr. Michael Rooke. “We are all very proud of the work we do at Northwestern to provide the most affordable and economically feasible option for the northwest corner.”

Attendance at a Connecticut community college became a lot more affordable for many students starting this fall who were able to take advantage of PACT (Pledge to Advance CT), the state’s free community college incentive.

“Our full-time student enrollment numbers are up 20 percent over the previous year,” said President Rooke. “The pandemic has created many financial challenges for parents and students. At this time especially, community college makes sense to so many who are looking for a high-quality education at an affordable price.”

In addition to NCCC’s top ratings, Connecticut as a whole ranked fifth in the country as having the best community college system.

“These rankings provide great evidence to everyone who lives here of the amazing community colleges that can be found in our state,” said President Rooke.