Olympic College recognized by Aspen Institute as one of top 150 community colleges in nation for 2016/17

The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence honors institutes that strive for and achieve exceptional levels of success for all students, while they are in college and after they graduate. The Aspen Prize, awarded every two years, is the nation’s preeminent recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges. Olympic College is consistently ranked in the top 150, reaching the top 10 in 2014-15. The college is once again in the top 150 and in the running for top ten recognition in 2016-17.
 
The Prize assesses community colleges’ achievements in four areas:
  • Completion
  • Labor Market
  • Learning
  • Equity

In order to be considered for top ten recognition and a share of the $1 million grand prize, colleges must complete a rigorous application process. For colleges that reach the top ten, additional applications and interviews with Aspen Prize representatives are conducted. In 2015, Olympic College was selected as a finalist because of:

  • Steadily improving retention of some of the least academically prepared students (retention rate - 57%compared to 52% nationally)
  • Close ties with local industry reflected in dozens of programs in skilled trades, from which 90% of students complete and 100% are placed in jobs.
  • Strong, well-established pathways to a bachelor’s degree, including a collaborative engineering program at Olympic College in Bremerton.

During the 2016 application cycle, we will highlight our continued success and improvement in the four areas of focus, using both quantitative and qualitative data.

Find out more about the Aspen Prize.