Skip to main content
Around Kirkwood

Kirkwood Earns High Marks for Degree Graduates

By June 21, 2010January 14th, 2019No Comments

National study places Iowa college in the Top 40 of two-year institutions for degrees awarded

Once again a nationwide study shows Kirkwood Community College highly ranked among two-year colleges in the nation. A recently published report in the journal Community College Week showed Kirkwood ranked 39th in the U.S. in the total number of degrees conferred.

This ranking reflects a total of 1,899 Kirkwood associate degrees conferred in the 2008-09 academic year. This number puts the Cedar Rapids college in the top three percent of all two-year colleges in the nation for these criteria. The mark puts Kirkwood on a degrees-awarded par with schools in such major metropolitan areas as Miami, Detroit, New York City, Dallas and Houston.

The summer 2010 study shows Kirkwood in the upper ranks among nearly 1,200 community colleges in the U.S. The college has been ranked in the “top 40” colleges in similar studies for more than a decade. When compared specifically among two-year-only colleges, Kirkwood ranks 24th among its community college peers.

The nationwide survey also ranked Kirkwood in the American top 100 community colleges in total non-minority associate degrees (15th place). The only other Iowa two-year college on the list, Des Moines Area Community College, ranked #68.

President Mick Starcevich said the college was pleased to be noted among the leading two-year degree-conferring colleges in the nation.

“To be ranked in the Top 40 of nearly 1,200 community colleges in America is an honor for everyone at Kirkwood. Most of all, it is a reflection of the dedication our governing boards, faculty and staff deliver every day, and the superb support we enjoy in our entire community,” he said.

Starcevich also pointed out “the big story behind the numbers” in the annual study.

“This information reflects a key factor for Iowa’s college students. It means we prepare, nurture and serve our graduates in a strong proportion from our relatively small population base. That is a great reflection on Iowa’s work ethic and dedication to learning. We should never take that for granted.”

Kirkwood’s #39 position puts the Iowa college in an exact tie for two-year degrees conferred (1,899) with CUNY Kingborough Community College of Brooklyn, NY. The degrees figure also puts Kirkwood in comparative ranks with two-year colleges in Philadelphia, Phoenix and Sacramento, Calif.

Kirkwood had an official enrollment of 17,841 college credit students in the fall 2010 semester. Many colleges in the journal’s Top 100 rankings have enrollments several times larger than Kirkwood’s estimated total of 25,000 students served in the past year.

The nationwide study is conducted yearly by Community College Week, based on data from the US Department of Education for the previous academic year. All comparative data was obtained for the 2008-09 academic session. The study was published in the June 14, 2010 edition of the journal.

Complete information on the study is available at the Community College Week website:
www.ccweek.com