Maryland earned the top spot in WalletHub’s 2026 ranking of community college systems, with five Maryland community colleges placing among the top 30 nationwide. The ranking marks the fourth consecutive year Maryland has taken the number one spot.
WalletHub ranked Maryland ahead of New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Oregon after reviewing community colleges nationwide. The analysis draws from WalletHub’s 2026 assessment of 613 institutions and weighs cost and financing, education outcomes, and career outcomes.
Five Maryland community colleges placed among the nation’s top 30:
- Prince George’s Community College, number 19
- Carroll Community College, number 20
- Montgomery College, number 26
- Howard Community College, number 27
- College of Southern Maryland, number 29
That means roughly 30% of Maryland’s 16 community colleges ranked among the top 5% of the 613 institutions WalletHub reviewed.
Maryland’s community colleges have traditionally operated on a roughly three-way funding model, with the State, counties, and tuition each expected to cover about one-third of operating costs. In practice, counties have consistently carried more than that share as State support has proven inconsistent at best.
That local investment helps colleges keep tuition affordable while supporting transfer pathways, apprenticeships, career credentials, dual enrollment, and workforce training programs.
WalletHub calculates each state’s score by grouping individual college rankings by state. Its methodology looks at 18 measures across three categories: cost and financing, education outcomes, and career outcomes.
Those measures include tuition and fees, financial aid availability, student retention and graduation rates, credentials awarded, graduate earnings, and student loan default rates.
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