Four area community colleges ranked 3rd to 6th in their states

The four community colleges in greater Northeast Tennessee and far Southwest Virginia fared relatively well in recently released SmartAsset rankings for Best Community Colleges for 2025.In both cases, the four, two in each region of their respective states, finished no lower than 6th among their in-state peers, putting them in the upper half of the rankings in Tennessee and upper one-third in Virginia.However, both Virginia schools ranked higher than their Tennessee counterparts as measured nationally.In the Volunteer State, Walters State Community College in Morristown finished 3rd and Northeast State Community College in Blountville finished 6th in Tennessee among 14 eligible contenders.And in neighboring Virginia, Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap finished 4th and Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon finished 6th in the commonwealth among 18 eligible contenders.Comparing the four schools in nationwide rankings, Mountain Empire finished 236 nationwide, followed by Virginia Highlands at 325, Walters State at 376 and Northeast at 438.Across the United States, the study ranked 585 two-year schools offering associate's degrees with at least 500 full-time students. Rankings are available within each state and can also be compared to the wider, national rankings.Ranking criteria captured what SmartAsset called an ensemble of factors for residents considering matriculation, including tuition and fees, student-faculty ratio and student retention rate.See the full data and compare against community colleges across the country online at https://smartasset.com/data-studies/best-community-colleges-2025.Best Community Colleges in TennesseeSchools are ranked below at the state level. Given after that is the location of the college, followed by the number in national ranking; in-state tuition and fees; student-faculty ratio and retention rate.1. Chattanooga State Community College, Chattanooga; 174; $4,550; 14; 59%;2. Roane State Community College, Harriman; 371; $4,762; 19; 61%3. Walters State Community College; Morristown, TN; 378; $4,519; 18; 58%4. Pellissippi State Community College; Knoxville; 391; 4576; 18; 57%5. Columbia State Community College; Columbia; 415; 4904; 19; 58%6. Northeast State Community College; Blountville; 438; $4,542; 20; 58%Best Community Colleges in VirginiaSchools are ranked at the state level. Descriptions include institution name; location; national ranking; in-state tuition and fees; student-faculty ratio; retention rate.1. Centura College-Virginia Beach; Virginia Beach; 46; $16,637; 7; .71%2. Mountain Gateway Community College; Clifton Forge; 180; $4,878; 18; 68%3. Patrick & Henry Community College; Martinsville; 229; $4m858; 19; 68%4. Mountain Empire Community College; Big Stone Gap; 236; $4,863; 20; 70%5. Piedmont Virginia Community College; Charlottesville; 314; $4,928; 20; 66%6. Virginia Highlands Community College; Abingdon; 325; $4,863; 18; 61%