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Bladen Community College has placed 8th in the nation out of 423 schools and
second in the state of North Carolina for its online programs. In the national
ranking, Bladen Community College was one of five North Carolina schools
included on the top 25 list. Only one of the state schools outranked Bladen, Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, which ranked fourth in the nation.
These rankings include the best community colleges in North Carolina that offer
fully online associate degree and certificate programs. All but one of the 35
community colleges ranked here have annual tuitions under $3,000, making them as affordable as they are convenient.
Dr. Amanda Lee, BCC President, commented on the ranking “Bladen Community
College is dedicated to responding to the needs of our students. The faculty
recognized that offering classes online would allow the schedule flexibility for
more students to pursue their educational dreams. Not only did the faculty
commit to offering their courses online but also ensured that the quality of the
instruction met or exceeded what they would receive had they been in the
classroom. This recognition is an honor and evidence that BCC is student
centered and future focused. “
At #2-ranked in the state, Bladen Community College offers online Associate of
Applied Science degrees. These programs cover the following subjects: business
administration, information technology, medical office administration, office
administration, general education, and early childhood education. Both an
Associate of Arts and Associate of Science college transfer program are available
as well. In addition, 21 certificate programs and five diploma programs are
offered. Online programs and courses are fully accredited by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. A list of offerings
may be accessed on the college’s website at
“I think these ratings demonstrate the quality of our online programs,” remarked
Ray Sheppard, Director of Distance Learning at Bladen Community College. He
added, “ Students who attend Bladen Community College online get the same
high quality education as those who attend on campus. We were the first
community college in the state to be certified by the United States Distance
Learning Association (USDLA) and we strive to make sure our programs are the
best they can be. “
Each community college highlighted on the rankings lists received a score based
on its retention rate, graduation rate and percentage of online enrollment data
from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The number
of online associate degrees offered was collected from school websites and
considered in the ranking score as well. All ranked schools scored 70 percent or
higher.
SR Education Group, a leading education research publisher founded in 2004,
recently released the first-ever online community college rankings categorized by state.
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