(New Castle, PA) After graduating from Neshannock Senior High School in 2020, Terence Rice attended a Pennsylvania public four-year institution, realized he “didn’t like it” and later transferred to BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing in New Castle.
“I wish I would have chosen BC3 from the beginning,” he said. “The quality of my education here at BC3 has just been phenomenal.”
Rice, who expects to graduate in May from BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing with an associate degree in accounting, is among students praising BC3’s selection as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania for a ninth time since 2015.
BestColleges.com analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education and considered factors such as academic quality, affordability and online competency in ranking BC3 as the top accredited community college in the state in 2023.
BC3 and the nine other institutions in BestColleges.com’s Top 10 in 2023 are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a global institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education since 1952.
BC3 was also selected as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania for 2023 and for 2022 by Niche; in 2022, 2020 and in 2017 by BestColleges.com; and in 2019, 2017 and 2015 by Schools.com.
“BC3 has been on this nine-time winning streak,” said Rice, 21, a Neshannock Township resident named to the college’s president’s list and a member of Rho Phi, BC3’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society for two-year colleges and programs. “It’s impressive. It really is.”
Amelia Miller, 18, of Butler, a student in Butler County Community College’s new virtual associate degree program in psychology, is shown at her home on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
“It all starts in the classroom”
BestColleges.com publishes information to help students make educational decisions and find schools that best fit their needs through proprietary research, guides and college rankings, according to its website.
“To consistently rank highly with BestColleges is a strong indicator that a college will provide high-quality education at a great value,” said Danika Miller, BestColleges editor. “A top-ranked school has a variety of programs, positive student outcomes, financial aid opportunities and support for students as they move on to their next step.”
“It all starts in the classroom,” added Dr. Nick Neupauer, BC3’s president since 2007 and the longest-serving chief executive officer in the 58-year history of western Pennsylvania’s first community college. “And that excellence in the classroom, in a teaching institution that is student-centered, is at the core of all of our successes.”
Joseph E. Kubit is a Butler County judge, chairman of BC3’s board of trustees and a 1984 graduate of BC3.
“Being recognized, once again, as Pennsylvania’s No. 1 community college is truly an honor,” Kubit said. “It is also a testament to the skill and dedication of the faculty, administration and staff to seeing to it that students at BC3 receive a high-quality, affordable education.”
“Learn better than I ever have”
Nearly 52 percent of BC3’s students as of Aug. 31 were enrolled in associate degree transfer programs, according to Sharla Anke, the college’s assistant dean of institutional research and planning.
About 48 percent were enrolled in programs in which they can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation, such as associate degree career programs and certificate or workplace certificate programs.
BC3’s student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1 and the lowest of the nine other institutions in BestColleges.com’s Top 10 in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
“The ratio is hard to compete with here at BC3,” Rice said. “You feel a little bit more accountable to do your work when you are in a class with maybe fewer people. As a student, it has helped me to learn better than I ever have, truly.”
Veronica Lenzi, 19, of West Middlesex, Mercer County, is a general studies student at BC3 @ LindenPointe in Hermitage, which her brother and sister also attended.
“I get so many teachers coming up to me and saying, ‘Oh, you’re Victoria’s little sister,’” Lenzi said. “They remember her so much. I want to be able to make an impression on them like that also. …
“Universities, the bigger they are, the less connected they usually are with their students. Smaller community colleges like BC3 are able to connect to their students so much more. If you are struggling with anything, your teachers are right there to help you. It just feels like a supportive environment.”
Terence Rice, 21, of Neshannock Township, is shown Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing in New Castle, where he is an accounting student.
“BC3 is way more affordable for better quality”
Students who attend a community college for their first two years can save an estimated $20,000 on the cost of higher education, according to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, of which BC3 is a member.
BC3’s $5,328 average net price in 2021-2022 was the lowest of the nine other institutions in BestColleges.com’s Top 10 in 2023, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
The lowest average net price in 2021-2022 for Pennsylvania residents attending regional public four-year universities was $17,873, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
“The price I was paying (to attend a Pennsylvania public four-year institution) compared to the price I am paying right now to attend BC3 is out of this world,” said Rice, who works 30 hours a week as a staff accountant in Zelienople. “BC3 is way more affordable and with better quality.”
Seventy-five percent of BC3’s Class of 2023 graduated debt-free.
The college’s Education Foundation in 2022-2023 awarded a record $281,000 in scholarships to BC3 students and this year has a record 155 named financial awards available.
Rice has received two scholarships from the BC3 Education Foundation.
“That,” he said, “helped me tremendously.”
Only residents of seven other states have average monthly student-loan payments higher than do Pennsylvanians with $216.38, according to an April 5 report by LendEDU, a website that provides comparisons for loans, credit cards and other financial products.
“Since I have been at BC3, it’s almost been too perfect,” Rice said, “with the cost savings and the quality of education.”
Rice was named to BC3’s president’s list after earning a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.75.
BC3’s new virtual programs “solid option”
A record 345 fall students – and an increase of 29 percent from 10 years ago – are taking only online courses at BC3. The college this fall debuted virtual associate degree transfer and career programs, and certificate or workplace certificate programs that are instructed by BC3 faculty.
“The new virtual programs now provide a solid option for students who may not live near a BC3 location or have transportation issues, and allows them to take advantage of the quality programs that BC3 offers in a fully online format,” said Ann McCandless, the college’s dean of educational technology.
Amelia Miller, 18, of Butler, works 20 hours a week and is enrolled this fall in the college’s new virtual associate degree program in psychology.
“It definitely saves me time,” Miller said. “I can do my schoolwork really any time during the day and not have to worry about rushing from college to get to work.”
BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s fall open house will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at 2849 W. State St., New Castle. Prospective students can RSVP at bc3.edu/open-house
Following BC3 in BestColleges.com’s 2023 rankings were No. 2, Bucks County Community College, Newtown; No. 3, Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell; No. 4, Northampton County Area Community College, Bethlehem; No. 5, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, Johnstown; No. 6, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Schnecksville; No. 7, Mercyhurst University-North East Campus; No. 8, Community College of Beaver County, Monaca; No. 9, Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke; No. 10, Delaware County Community College, Media.
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