The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has named North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges, eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. With a singular focus on student success, the Aspen Prize recognizes institutions with outstanding achievements in four areas: learning; certificate and degree completion; employment and earnings; and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students.

The 150 community colleges named as eligible to compete for the 2019 Prize were selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide using publicly available data on student outcomes. The Prize is awarded every two years. The purpose of the Aspen Prize is to recognize community colleges with outstanding academic and workforce outcomes in both absolute performance and improvements over time. The top ten finalists for the 2019 Aspen Prize will be named in May 2018.

NIACC President Steve Schulz shared, “NIACC is proud to be one of two community colleges in Iowa invited to apply for the renowned Aspen Prize for the third straight recognition period. The $1 million Aspen Prize is awarded every two years to the Nation’s best community college based on the successful outcomes of their students. To be recognized for the third time in row is a credit to our faculty and staff. This invitation recognizes NIACC as one of the highest performing institutions in the nation and is the result of the hard work from every member of our team.”

NIACC is currently ranked 1st in Transfer Rate, 2nd in Graduation Rate, and 2nd in Success Rate compared to all other Iowa Community Colleges. Students interested in enrolling at NIACC may contact the NIACC Admissions Office at 641-422-4245 or 1-888-GO NIACC ext. 4245. Enrollment is currently open for spring courses.

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