ECC student success ranks 19th in the nation!
Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls is ranked 19th in the nation for student success, according to an article published this month at CNNMoney.com.
Because not all colleges are created equal, College Measures, a joint venture of the American Institutes of Research & Matrix Knowledge Group, has created a chart for CNNMoney to help students find the best options. Based on the percentage of students that graduated within three years or transferred to four-year colleges, they compiled a “success” rating for each community college in the U.S.
ECC was rated with a 68 percent success rate, which means 68 percent of all students who attend Ellsworth either complete or have a successful transfer to a four-year college or university within three years.
“Figuring out which school will give you the best chance of transferring to a four-year college or university can be difficult, especially since there is so little standardized information out there,” explains the CNNMoney website. “To make sure a school did not appear on this list because of a statistical blip, we did not count colleges with less than 200 full-time freshmen.” Website visitors can sort the data by college name, city, state or success rating by clicking on a column heading.
“To be ranked 19th in student success out of the 1,655 community colleges in the United States is a tremendous tribute to our faculty and staff,” says Dr. Nancy Muecke, ECC Provost. “It speaks not only to their talents, but to their dedication to each student in each and every class. Knowing that most students come to college to either earn a degree or transfer their credits, we plan to share this information with all our prospective students and their families … if their goal is to be successful, in those terms, Ellsworth is definitely the place to be!”
Three other Iowa community colleges placed in the Top 50: Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon placed 7th with a 77 percent success rating, North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City placed 14th with a 72 percent success rating, and Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids placed 44th with a 60 percent success rating.
Ellsworth Community College is operated by Iowa Valley Community College District, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and the Iowa Department of Education. The District is currently in the process of undergoing a rigorous reporting and review process as part of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, designed to help the institution meet its various strategic goals, including continuous quality improvement.
For more information about Ellsworth Community College, visit the college’s website at www.EllsworthCollege.com, e-mail eccinfo@iavalley.edu, or call toll-free 1-800-322-9235. Fall term classes start Aug. 27.