Kellogg Community College is the second best community college in the state, according to the latest annual ranking by financial services company SmartAsset.
KCC ranks second out of all community colleges ranked in Michigan — one of just three Michigan colleges placing in the Top 100 — and 55th out of 585 total institutions ranked across the country in the company’s list of “Best Community Colleges,” released Aug. 27. The national ranking places KCC among the Top 9.4% of community colleges nationwide.
The full report can be viewed at smartasset.com/data-studies/best-community-colleges-2025.
SmartAsset researchers analyzed data from 585 two-year colleges offering associate degrees with at least 500 full-time enrollees, ranking them based on full-time retention rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and in-state tuition and fees.
The report was compiled to help prospective students, “evaluate the education program you’re paying for and make sure it suits your goals,” according to SmartAsset.
The SmartAsset ranking is just the latest honor for the College. Also in August, KCC was ranked among the top 2.5% of community colleges nationwide according to rankings from financial services company WalletHub. And in March the College was voted “Best College/University” in Battle Creek and Calhoun County in the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Love Battle Creek & Calhoun County Awards.
These honors are bolstered by MI School Data reports for more than a decade that continue to show KCC is the No. 1 college in the region: More high school graduates in Barry, Branch and Calhoun counties choose to begin their higher education pursuits at KCC than at any other college or university.
Registration for KCC’s Spring 2026 semester is open now, with the first winter/spring classes beginning Jan. 20. For more information about signing up for winter/spring classes, visit kellogg.edu/registration. To apply to KCC online for free, visit kellogg.edu/apply.
Photo by JJ Combs/Combs Drone Services.
