States With the Best & Worst Community Colleges (2026)

University education is out of reach for many Americans, but thanks to community colleges, higher education is more accessible than ever. Compared with public four-year institutions, where tuition and fees cost almost three times as much on average, community colleges offer significant savings for students.

Despite the fact that community colleges can offer significant cost advantages, not every state offers schools of the same quality. WalletHub drew from its 2026 ranking of the Best and Worst Community Colleges to create a state-by-state ranking of community-college systems.

Main Findings

Best Community College Systems

In-Depth Look at the States With the Best Community Colleges

Best State: Maryland

Maryland has the best community colleges, with its five best schools all ranking within the top 30 community colleges nationwide. Maryland is also one of the states that currently offers free community college education.

The top community college in Maryland is Prince George's Community College, which has one main campus and several additional learning locations throughout Prince George's County. This school ranks 19th among the best community colleges nationally, standing out due to high median salaries for graduates, good student retention rates and the fact that it offers credit for life experiences.

Top 5 Community Colleges in Maryland

1. Prince George's Community (Rank 19 nationally)
2. Carroll Community College(Rank 20 nationally)
3. Montgomery College (Rank 26 nationally)
4. Howard Community College (Rank 27 nationally)
5. College of Southern Maryland (Rank 29 nationally)

Second-Best State: New Mexico

New Mexico has the second-best community colleges, and its five best schools rank in the top 80 among more than 610 community colleges nationwide. The state also offers the opportunity for free community college to all New Mexico residents.

The best community college in New Mexico is Mesalands Community College, which ranks as the third best in the U.S. One way that it stands out is that it has a high ratio of faculty to students. In addition, Mesalands graduates are very unlikely to default on their debt, and the college has the 12th-highest graduation rate in the country.

Top 5 Community Colleges in New Mexico

1. Mesalands Community College (Rank 3 nationally)
2. San Juan College (Rank 13 nationally)
3. Santa Fe Community College (Rank 14 nationally)
4. Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Campus (Rank 64 nationally)
5. Central New Mexico Community College (Rank 72 nationally)

Third-Best State: South Dakota

South Dakota has the third-best community colleges, with its four best schools all ranking in the top 300 community colleges in the nation. South Dakota colleges also offer employment services for students, and the state gives credit for life experiences too.

The top community college in South Dakota is Mitchell Technical College. It has the third-best graduation rate, the second-best retention rates, and it has the eighth-best student-to-faculty ratio.

Top 4 Community Colleges in South Dakota

1. Mitchell Technical College (Rank 4 nationally)
2. Lake Area Technical College (Rank 60 nationally)
3. Southeast Technical College (Rank 128 nationally)
4. Western Dakota Technical College (Rank 297 nationally)

The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.