The Aspen Institute Names Sinclair as a Top U.S. Community College Eligible for the 2027 Aspen Prize

The Aspen Institute named Sinclair Community College as one of the 200 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s premier recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges. The colleges were selected based on their student outcomes data, including retention, completion, transfer, and bachelor’s attainment rates. Started in 2010, this is the ninth cycle of the Aspen Prize.

"It's a tremendous honor for Sinclair Community College to be named among the top colleges eligible for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence," said Dr. Steve Johnson, President & CEO of Sinclair. "This recognition is a powerful testament to the tireless dedication of our faculty and staff, and it validates our unwavering focus on student success, highlighting the positive results we are achieving, which helps our students enter the workforce or go on to earn bachelor's degrees - the very metrics that underscore the value and impact of a high-performing community college, such as Sinclair.”

Sinclair is one of four Ohio colleges named amongst the 200 institutions selected. Together, these colleges represent the breadth of the community college sector, located in urban, rural, and suburban areas across the country serving anywhere from a few hundred students to tens of thousands. Some of the colleges named focus primarily on workforce programs, while others focus on transfer and bachelor’s attainment or a combination of the two.

“The Aspen Prize rewards colleges that achieve the kind of outcomes that actually matter to students - completing college degree programs that, in turn, lead to lifelong success,” said Josh Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “Aspen Prize winners offer a powerful message: community colleges can deliver the kind of life-changing education that makes the American Dream real.”

Community colleges educate nearly six million students. The Aspen Prize process identifies and celebrates community colleges that demonstrate achieving stronger outcomes is possible, while providing a roadmap of effective practices and strategies for other colleges to follow.  

The eligible colleges have been invited to apply and participate in a rigorous review process that will culminate in the naming of the Aspen Prize winner in Spring 2027. Over the coming 20 months, the colleges that apply for the Aspen Prize will be assessed based on 1.) student outcomes data, ranging from student transfer and completion rates to employment and wages after graduation and 2.) whether they have engaged in scaled practices that led to high and improving student outcomes.

“Among these 200 colleges are some really special places that deliver strong and improving outcomes for students across the board,” Wyner said. “Our job over the coming 20 months is to gather a lot more data and work with a deep bench of field experts to assess which of these 200 stand out so we can not only honor them with a monetary award but drive attention to the most effective field practices that other colleges can replicate.”

This year, in addition to publicly available federal data, over 600 colleges authorized the use of National Student Clearinghouse data on their institution’s degree completion, transfer, and bachelor’s attainment rates for full- and part-time students. There are over 1,100 public and independent community colleges, with a total number of around 1,600 across the United States when branch campuses are included.

The full list can be accessed on the Aspen Prize homepage. The Aspen Prize is generously funded by Ascendium Education Philanthropy and the Joyce Foundation. To read more about the selection process, visit as.pn/prize. 

Previous winners are:

2025: Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (WI)

2023: Amarillo College (TX) and Imperial Valley College (CA)

2021: San Antonio College (TX)

2019: Indian River State College (FL) and Miami Dade College (FL)

2017: Lake Area Technical Institute (SD)

2015: Santa Fe College (FL)

2013: Santa Barbara City College (CA) & Walla Walla Community College (WA)

2011: Valencia College (FL)

Note: Colleges that have won the Aspen Prize are not eligible to apply in subsequent years.

2025-12-31 23:59:00.0