Montgomery County Community College ranks third on best community colleges list.

Butler Community College has been named the No. 1 best community college in Pennsylvania, according to an analysis by Schools.com.

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Pennsylvania has a long history of taking higher education seriously. From the first official university founded in the U.S. to cutting-edge online schools in Pennsylvania, students in the state have plenty of great options when it comes to college degree programs and professional training.

Students at Montgomery County Community College  (MCCC) graduate at a relatively high rate — good for the No. 3 spot on the list — and the Blue Bell, Whitpain Township school stands in a four-way tie with other online schools in Pennsylvania at No. 5 for its rate of distance education enrollment. Students also stay in school for the long haul — MC3 is tied for one other school in the list for second place in retention ranking. Cost of tuition and books and supplied landed the college square in the middle of our study.

Butler Community College’s favorable transfer rate, high percentage of graduates with completed degrees or certificates, and the total cost of attendance were a few reasons for its strong performance in the Schools.com study.

Each school was scored on against seven different criteria using the most recent data available from government sources. Data points included factors important to student success, such as affordability, flexibility, graduation and retention rate, number of transfer agreements and more.

Based on the study, below are the best community colleges in Pennsylvania:

1. Butler Community College
2. Bucks County Community College
3. Montgomery County Community College (Blue Bell)
4. Northampton County Area Community College
5. Community College of Beaver County

See details for the ranking schools and complete methodology here.