(Ford City, PA) Taygen Hill, 19, a Vandergrift resident and part-time employee at a home improvement store in Kittanning, said Butler County Community College’s ranking as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania informed her decision to choose BC3 @ Armstrong in fall 2024 to prepare her for a career in agriculture, biology or conservation.

“I think employers want to see on a resume that the candidate used their time appropriately and attended a trusted school,” Hill said of BC3’s top designations since 2015 by online resources that research and analyze the U.S. Department of Education’s and other information to help prospective students plan for their careers.

“BC3 @ Armstrong was an easy choice,” Hill said. “High rankings and close to home. I had no need to look further.”

Hill will need to look further into updating her resume.

Niche.com, Pittsburgh, reviewed and evaluated data from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau and FBI, and weighed student and alumni reviews in recognizing BC3 as the best community college in Pennsylvania for 2026.

Academics, value, financial aid, safety and student life were among topics Niche.com considered.

It weighed academics at 40 percent; value at 27.5 percent; professors at 7.5 percent; campus, diversity, student life and student surveys on overall experience at 5 percent each; and local area and safety at 2.5 percent each.

BC3 was also ranked No. 1 by Niche.com for 2025, for 2023 and for 2022; by BestColleges.com for 2023, for 2022, for 2020 and for 2017; and by Schools.com in 2019, in 2017 and in 2015.

"Students and families can count on BC3"

The college created additional locations such as BC3 @ Armstrong in 2015 in Manor Township to serve western Pennsylvania counties under-represented by higher education. The college in 2023 opened a 15,000-square-foot, $6.5 million state-of-the-art facility in nearby Ford City.

BC3, with an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is also marking its 60th anniversary this year.

Karen Zapp, director of BC3 @ Armstrong since 2015, said the college’s No. 1 rankings should resonate with current and prospective students because “it reflects our consistent excellence in academics, affordability and student experience.

“This recognition highlights BC3’s strong academic programs, supportive faculty, safe campus environment and vibrant student life,” Zapp said. “BC3 students receive a high-quality, well-rounded education that effectively prepares them for success in many fields.”

Megan M. Coval, president of the college, and Joseph E. Kubit, chair of BC3’s board of trustees, a judge in Butler County and a 1984 graduate of BC3, agreed.

“This honor is yet another example that students and families can count on BC3 to deliver quality, affordable and accessible education,” Coval said. “For 60 years the college has stayed true to a mission that puts students first. That steady commitment and genuine care are exactly what students need most right now.”

Added Kubit: “These consistently outstanding rankings should instill pride and confidence in current students and be something those choosing a college should consider strongly.”

Graduating debt-free can help set me up

Financial aid options, BC3’s affordability and scholarships allowed 93 percent of the college’s Class of 2025 to graduate debt-free. 

Tuition and fees for students pursuing 15 credits each semester in the 2025-2026 academic year at BC3 @ Armstrong cost $9,300 for in-person courses. Those students can receive up to $12,289 in federal and state grants, according to Juli Louttit, BC3’s director of student financial services.

“I expect to be able to take the most current and appropriate classes I need without wasting my time and money,” Hill said. “BC3 @ Armstrong has a beautiful new facility, relatable, forward-thinking staff and small class sizes.”

Hill graduated from Kiski Area High School in 2024. The general studies student at BC3 @ Armstrong was named to the college’s dean’s list in her first semester and to the president’s list in her second.

Students who complete at least 12 credit hours in a semester and earn a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75 or higher are named to BC3’s president’s list; and those with a 3.5 to 3.74, to the college’s dean’s list.

Students from Apollo, Cadogan, Cowansville, Kittanning, Nu Mine, Rural Valley and Worthington were among those selected by the BC3 Education Foundation to receive one of its record 164 named scholarships in 2025-2026, according to Bobbi Jo Cornetti, the foundation’s scholarship and development coordinator.

Financial awards ranged from $300 to $5,000 and averaged $500, Cornetti said.

Hill said she expects to graduate debt-free in May from BC3 @ Armstrong.

“I believe graduating debt-free can help set me up for a strong financial future,” Hill said. “I will be able to pursue more of my goals without having the stress of student-loan payments.”

Nothing fit as well as BC3 did

Hill plans to then transfer to Indiana University of Pennsylvania to pursue a bachelor’s degree in a biology, environmental or agriculture program.

She volunteers with vacation Bible school at St. Paul’s Highfield Lutheran Church in Parks Township and has planted trees at Crooked Creek Recreation Area near Ford City and wildflowers near the Armstrong Trail along Ross Avenue in Manor Township.

Students can save approximately $30,000 by beginning their pursuit of higher education at one of the state’s 15 community colleges, according to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

“I had explored a few options before, but nothing fit as well as BC3 did,” Hill said. “It is affordable, a great environment and it met my needs for further education.”

BC3 is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, as are its fellow Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges members that completed Niche.com’s Top 10: Delaware County Community College, No. 2; Bucks County Community College, No. 3; Luzerne County Community College, No. 4; the Community College of Beaver County, No. 5; Westmoreland County Community College, No. 6; Reading Area Community College, No. 7; Community College of Philadelphia, No. 8; the Community College of Allegheny County, No. 9; and Harrisburg Area Community College, No. 10.