Mt. SAC Ranked Best Vocational School In Calif., 7th Best In U.S.

WALNUT, CA -- Mt. San Antonio College has been ranked No. 7 in a new study of the best vocational and trade colleges for 2019-20, and no. 1 in California.

The study, which can be found at rwm.org, is based on government data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. Another Los Angeles County institution of learning, Glendale Community College, was ranked 27th on the list. It ranked fourth in California, behind City College of San Francisco and Santa Rosa Junior College.

The data helped generate a list of accredited schools that fall under the following classifications:

Associate's Colleges: Mixed Transfer/Vocational & Technical

• These institutions awarded associate's degrees but no bachelor's degrees with 30-49% of awards (degrees and certificates) in career and technical programs.

Associate's Colleges: High Vocational & Technical

• These institutions awarded associate's degrees but no bachelor's degrees with more than 50% of awards (degrees and certificates) in career and technical programs.

Special Focus: Two-Year Institution

• These institutions awarded associate's degrees but no bachelor's degrees with typically more than 75% of awards in a single career and technical program

More than 700 colleges were ranked on the following criteria:

1. Cost of attendance, based on the average net price for students receiving scholarship and grant aid, and the total cost of tuition, fees, books and supplies, National Center for Education Statistics, 2016-17
2. Number of Associate degree and undergraduate Certificate programs offered, National Center for Education Statistics, 2016-17
3. Percent of undergraduate students enrolled in any distance education classes, National Center for Education Statistics, 2017
4. Full-time student retention rate & part-time retention rate (if full-time retention rate is not available, then use part-time retention rate), National Center for Education Statistics, Fall 2017
5. The graduation rate in 150% time, National Center for Education Statistics, 2017-18
6. Percent of students working and not enrolled 6 years after entry, College Scorecard, 2014-15
7. Flexibility and student services, based on whether the school offers the following services, National Center for Education Statistics, 2017-18
8. Annual earnings for students working 10 years after entry, College Scorecard, 2014-15