Staff Report
HAMLET — Eleven community colleges in North Carolina are ranked among the 20 best in the nation, with Richmond Community College being among them.
SmartAsset recently released its rankings for the Best Community Colleges in 2025 “to determine the best community colleges nationwide and in each state,” according to Jaclyn DeJohn, director of Economic Analysis at SmartAsset.
SmartAsset, “an online destination for consumer-focused financial information and advice,” ranked 585 two-year colleges offering associate degrees based on tuition and fees, student-to-faculty ratio and retention rates “for a holistic assessment of the student experience.”
Of the 58 institutions in the North Carolina Community College System, 49 qualified for the rankings, according to DeJohn.
Richmond Community College ranked 16th with an average in-state tuition of $2,552, a 77% retention rate of full-time students and a student-to-faculty ratio of 13.
"Being ranked in the top 20 of 585 community colleges nationwide says a lot about what we are doing here at Richmond Community College and how we put students first,” President Brent Barbee said in a statement to the RO. “We provide many support services to help our students achieve their academic and career goals at an affordable price and in a timely manner."
RichmondCC offers not only associate degree programs and transfer pathways with a variety of partnering universities, the college has also instituted more short-term training programs that allow students to get to work quicker.
Beaufort County Community College in Washington was ranked the best in the nation. Edgecombe Community College in Tarboro and Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro were ranked third and fourth, respectively.
Other state community colleges in the top 20 are: Western Piedmont Community College (7); Durham Technical Community College (10); Forsyth Technical Community College (11); Stanly Community College (12); Randolph Community College (14); Carteret Community College (15); and Bladen Community College (18).
NOTE: This story has been updated to correct a typo in a name. 3:13 p.m. 8-26-25.
