INA, Ill. (Aug. 20, 2019) - Rend Lake College has maintained the number one spot as the best community college in Illinois for a fourth straight year, based on an independent study by financial website WalletHub. The ranking is based on 17 key factors, ranging from cost and finances to educational and career outcomes.
For the second consecutive year, the site ranked RLC tied in first when it comes to highest return on educational investment among all of the colleges across the country. That puts RLC as the best in the nation for average starting salary for graduates vs the cost of their education.
The ranking, published this week, compares 710 community colleges from across the country. This year marks RLC’s fifth total appearance on the list. The institution boasts the 37th best “Career Outcomes Rank†in the entire nation, an improvement over last year’s already stellar 43rd place.
WalletHub’s career outcomes category takes into account a student’s return on educational investment, student-loan default rate, median salary after attending and the number of former students earning above the average earnings of a high school graduate.
“We are extremely pleased with being recognized once again. It’s a testimony to the consistent effort and attention the faculty and staff put in day in and day out. And, the fact that we rank so highly in career outcomes just shows how motivated we are, as an institution, to ensuring we prepare our students for life after the classroom,†said RLC President Terry Wilkerson.
According to WalletHub, the information and data included in the ranking was gathered from the National Center for Educational Statistics, US News, U.S. Department of Education, Council for Community & Economic Research, and College Measures. To view the WalletHub ranking, visit www.wallethub.com.
This year marks the college’s fifth appearance on the list. Start your journey at RLC by visiting www.rlc.edu.
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