Beaufort CCC Ranked #1 Community College in the Nation | Eastern NC Now

Press Release:

    WASHINGTON, N.C.     SmartAsset Advisors, LLC, a national investment advisory firm, has ranked Beaufort County Community College (Beaufort CCC) the number one community college in the nation for 2025. The ranking considered three factors: tuition and fees, student-to-faculty ratio, and retention rate, comparing 585 community colleges across the United States.

    Beaufort CCC stood out with an in-state tuition and fees of $2,540 for one year, much of which is covered through grants and the Beaufort Promise Scholarship. The college holds an 81 percent retention rate for full-time students and maintains an 8-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. Beaufort CCC placed just ahead of other top-performing North Carolina colleges, including Edgecombe Community College and Durham Technical Community College, both of which have appeared in the top 10 for three consecutive years.

    SmartAsset highlighted the affordability of community colleges at a time when tuition and fees at private, four-year universities can approach $100,000 per year, often leaving graduates with significant loan debt.

    Dr. Dave Loope, president of Beaufort CCC, said, "We're finally getting recognition for removing financial barriers to higher education through our Beaufort Promise last-dollar scholarship program. We're wedded to the concept of universal higher education, and you must lead all prospective students to the pathway for 'free community college' if the universality is to take hold."

    Loope also pointed to the Centralized Advising Center, established in 2021, as a major factor in raising retention rates. "Data tell us where the main loss points are for our students, so why not have someone there to catch them and redirect them back to college rather than waiting for an academic sanction or even a dismissal to interrupt their career and personal goals."

    On the small class sizes, Loope added, "that's the beauty of living in rural Eastern North Carolina. We know each other through family and community connections, and the faculty members are part of these connections, too. Even with our growth in recent years, we're still the place that knows your name and cares about you as an individual. Small can be beautiful, and for us it works just fine."

• Attila Nemecz
• Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
• Beaufort County Community College
• 5337 U.S. Highway 264 East
• Washington, N.C. 27889
• Ph: 252-940-6387
• Cell: 252-940-8672
• attila.nemecz@beaufortccc.edu