The College of Southern Maryland has nearly doubled its position in a major national ranking of community colleges, landing at 29th out of 613 institutions this year after placing 57th the year before.
The rankings, published by the personal finance site WalletHub, evaluate schools across 18 metrics grouped into three equally weighted categories: Cost & Financing, Education Outcomes, and Career Outcomes. The methodology accounts for affordability, retention and graduation rates, post-graduation income mobility, student-faculty ratios, credit for prior learning opportunities, and student-loan default rates. CSM’s jump also moved it up within Maryland specifically, from 8th among the state’s 16 community colleges last year to 5th this year.
Maryland as a whole again ranked as the best state in the country for community colleges, according to WalletHub’s companion state-level analysis, which found the state’s five top schools all rank within the top 30 nationally — a group CSM’s new ranking places it firmly within. Prince George’s Community College holds the state’s top individual spot, ranking 19th nationally.
CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson credited the college’s strategic plan for the improvement. “We are proud to receive this recognition because it reflects that the work we do everyday matters,” Wilson said. “Putting students first means creating pathways that help them move forward. When we expand access to education, and support students across the finish line, we are investing in the future of Southern Maryland.”
The recognition lands amid a broader surge in community college enrollment nationally. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, enrollment in undergraduate certificate and associate degree programs has grown more than 28% since fall 2021, and community colleges saw 3% enrollment growth in 2025 alone, compared with 1.4% growth at public four-year institutions and an outright decline at private four-year schools. CSM’s own fall 2025 enrollment reflects that trend directly: 5,192 students, the college’s highest enrollment since before the pandemic, continuing a “five-year high” the college first reported last October.
“Our enrollment growth represents the future of our region,” Wilson said. “Every student who has access to an education has an opportunity to change their trajectory. They will become nurses, business owners, skilled tradespeople, educators, and leaders who strengthen our workforce and community.”
