Eight KCTCS colleges named to Aspen 200

Published on Oct 28, 2025

The Aspen Institute named eight Kentucky community colleges within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to its prestigious top 200 list, making them eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence in 2027.

The award is the nation’s premier recognition of high achievement and performance for two-year colleges. The top 200 list is developed based on student outcomes data, including retention, completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment rates.

“There are more than 1,100 community colleges in the U.S., many of which perform at extremely high levels. We are delighted to celebrate this incredible marker of excellence that speaks to what we already know — KCTCS colleges are operating at and above the national standard,” said KCTCS President Ryan Quarles.

KCTCS continues to be the No. 1 provider of workforce training in Kentucky. One out of every 49 Kentucky jobs is supported by the activities of KCTCS colleges and students.

KCTCS colleges named to the top 200 list include Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, Hazard Community and Technical College, Madisonville Community College, Maysville Community and Technical College, Owensboro Community and Technical College, Somerset Community College and West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

The $1 million Aspen Prize — awarded every two years — recognizes community colleges that achieve high and improving levels of student success in areas including teaching and learning; certificate and degree completion; transfer and bachelor’s attainment; workforce success; and college and program access. Aspen Prize winners and finalists are selected through three rounds of intensive data analysis and qualitative research by independent experts and selection committees. Effective practices and models of excellence uncovered during the prize process are shared with the field through open-access assessment tools and publications, conference presentations and professional development programs, including Aspen presidential fellowships and Aspen’s state and system partnerships. The Aspen Prize is supported by Ascendium and the Joyce Foundation.