Best Community Colleges in Connecticut 2023
The best community colleges provide an effective springboard into higher education, offering students high-quality two-year degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The top-rated community colleges in Connecticut offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.
10 Best Community Colleges in Connecticut
- Norwalk Community College 18 to 1
- Housatonic Community College 15 to 1
- Tunxis Community College 15 to 1
- Gateway Community College 15 to 1
- Manchester Community College 14 to 1
- Three Rivers Community College 14 to 1
- Middlesex Community College 13 to 1
- Middlesex Community College $3,984
- Manchester Community College $3,984
- Tunxis Community College $3,984
- Asnuntuck Community College 12 to 1
- Capital Community College 12 to 1
- Middlesex Community College 13 to 1
- Manchester Community College 14 to 1
- Three Rivers Community College 14 to 1
- Housatonic Community College 15 to 1
- Tunxis Community College 15 to 1
- Middlesex Community College $3,984
- Manchester Community College $3,984
- Tunxis Community College $3,984
Colleges and Universities in Connecticut
Connecticut is home to a variety of top brick-and-mortar schools as well as a wide variety of fully accredited online colleges. Higher education in Connecticut includes both public and private institutions that offer associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, both in person and through online degree programs.
With 19 public schools and 20 private schools, Connecticut gives both traditional and online students plenty of options to choose from.
Students seeking an affordable option can attend one of the state’s numerous community colleges, which average $4,000 a year for tuition. The in-state cost for tuition in Connecticut’s four year public schools ranges from $8,000 to $16,000. Many of the community and public colleges in Connecticut also offer online degree programs.
Students interested in psychology, economics, and communications can check out the University of Connecticut (UConn), which is home to the premier research institute for ecological psychology. Sacred Heart University, a Roman Catholic university, is known for its religious studies and business programs.
Those looking for a smaller student population and more online courses may want to check out Manchester Community College, which enrolls about 4000 students and offers affordable in-person and online degrees in literature, biology, and social work.
And of course, Connecticut is also home to Yale University, the fourth oldest learning institute in the United States. The venerable Ivy League school enrolls just over 15,000 students at its New Haven campus.
Both traditional and online students in Connecticut can choose from a variety of higher education experiences fitting a full spectrum of budgets and career goals. Learn more and begin earning your degree from one of the top brick-and-mortar or online colleges in Connecticut.
What are Connecticut’s Colleges & Universities?
- 7 Research Universities
- 14 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities
- 8 Graduate Schools
- 7 Public Colleges & Universities
- 14 Private Colleges & Universities
- 4 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 11 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students)
- 8 Affordable Colleges (below $20,000/year)
- 12 Community Colleges
- 9 Online Colleges
Connecticut’s Best Overall
We’ve identified 12 community colleges in Connecticut. The following list shows the best community colleges and primarily associate degree granting colleges in Connecticut.
If you’re interested in an online associate degree, visit our best online associate degrees in Connecticut page.
Best Community Colleges in Connecticut
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
12%
Student body
3K
What is Naugatuck Valley Community College known for?
Naugatuck Valley Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
11%
Student body
4K
What is Gateway Community College known for?
Gateway Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Criminal Justice
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Biology
- Sociology
- Medical
- History
- Communications
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
12%
Student body
2K
What is Housatonic Community College known for?
Housatonic Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
14%
Student body
3K
What is Norwalk Community College known for?
Norwalk Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Computer Science
- Criminal Justice
- Social Work
- Communications
- Medical
- Political Science
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
7%
Student body
2K
What is Capital Community College known for?
Capital Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
14%
Student body
3K
What is Manchester Community College known for?
Manchester Community College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
34%
Student body
<1K
What is Asnuntuck Community College known for?
Asnuntuck Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
15%
Student body
2K
What is Tunxis Community College known for?
Tunxis Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
14%
Student body
<1K
What is Northwestern Connecticut Community College known for?
Northwestern Connecticut Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
27%
Student body
<1K
What is Quinebaug Valley Community College known for?
Quinebaug Valley Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Biology
- Education
- Mathematics
- Criminal Justice
- Literature
- Communications
- Computer Science
- History
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
19%
Student body
1K
What is Middlesex Community College known for?
Middlesex Community College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Computer Science
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Engineering
- Biology
- Communications
- Literature
- Medical
- Political Science
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
13%
Student body
2K
What is Three Rivers Community College known for?
Three Rivers Community College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Physics
- Engineering
- Literature
- Mathematics
- Political Science
- Computer Science
- Medical
- Education
- Biology
- History
Most Influential Alumni
2021 Ranking Archive
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
- Capital Community College
- Quinebaug Valley Community College
- Northwestern Connecticut Community College
- Asnuntuck Community College
- Naugatuck Valley Community College
- Three Rivers Community College
- Manchester Community College
- Gateway Community College
- Norwalk Community College
- Housatonic Community College
- Tunxis Community College
- Middlesex Community College
