Bergen Community College

Bergen has ranked No. 1 in New Jersey for three consecutive years.

PARAMUS, N.J. – Data released this week show Bergen Community College once again leads New Jersey in associate degree graduates. The 2,435 students making up the class of 2015 ensured Bergen’s top ranking for the third consecutive year. The institution ranks No. 32 among all two-year colleges in the nation.

“When President Barack Obama challenged institutions of higher education to sustain the nation’s competitive advantage by increasing the number of graduates entering the workforce, Bergen Community College answered the call,” Bergen President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., said. “Graduation not only embodies the College’s mission – inspiring our community to realize a better future – but serves as a cornerstone to students’ continued success.”

Data from the National Student Clearinghouse show improved outcomes for community college students who graduate: 72 percent ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree; only 56 percent earned one if they transferred without graduating. This data – and other similar research – have spurred increased efforts by two-year institutions to champion completion as a primary goal.

The “Top 100 Associate Degree Producers” rankings, compiled by Community College Week, show Bergen leads its in-state peer Brookdale Community College by nearly 400 graduates.

Community College Week also ranks community colleges on various subsets of data: Bergen rose to No. 9 in the nation for liberal arts and science, general studies and humanities degrees granted by two-year institutions.

Nationally, conferrals of associate degrees slightly increased, reversing a two-year trend.

Bergen uniquely prepares students for graduation through support services like the nation’s No. 1 ranked tutoring center, faculty mentorship and its internationally recognized chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society of two-year colleges.

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls 15,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.

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