(Ford City, PA) A Ford City resident attending a $6.5 million state-of-the-art facility Butler County Community College opened in March in his hometown is among students praising BC3’s selection as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania for a ninth time since 2015.
Connor Cigola, 19, a 2022 graduate of Armstrong Junior-Senior High School, transferred to BC3 @ Armstrong after attending a private four-year institution in central Pennsylvania, where he played football.
BestColleges.com’s ranking shows “BC3 is truly the best,” Cigola said. “They do all the right things. They do everything right. It is like a team. Everyone knows their role. They’re doing their job. … You know you are getting the education that you need.”
BestColleges.com analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education and considered factors such as academic quality, affordability and online competency in ranking BC3 as the top accredited community college in the state in 2023.
BC3 and the nine other institutions in BestColleges.com’s Top 10 in 2023 are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a global institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education since 1952.
BC3 was also selected as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania for 2023 and for 2022 by Niche; in 2022, 2020 and in 2017 by BestColleges.com; and in 2019, 2017 and 2015 by Schools.com.
“The professors at BC3 want you to be prepared. They want you to succeed. … It makes me want show up and makes me want to be there.”
Connor Cigola, BC3 @ Armstrong student

“It all starts in the classroom”
BestColleges.com publishes information to help students make educational decisions and find schools that best fit their needs through proprietary research, guides and college rankings.
“To consistently rank highly with BestColleges is a strong indicator that a college will provide high-quality education at a great value,” said Danika Miller, BestColleges editor. “A top-ranked school has a variety of programs, positive student outcomes, financial aid opportunities and support for students as they move on to their next step.”
“It all starts in the classroom,” added Dr. Nick Neupauer, BC3’s president since 2007 and the longest-serving chief executive officer in the 58-year history of western Pennsylvania’s first community college. “And that excellence in the classroom, in a teaching institution that is student-centered, is at the core of all of our successes.”
Joseph E. Kubit is a Butler County judge, chairman of BC3’s board of trustees and a 1984 graduate of BC3.
“Being recognized, once again, as Pennsylvania’s No. 1 community college is truly an honor,” Kubit said. “It is also a testament to the skill and dedication of the faculty, administration and staff to seeing to it that students at BC3 receive a high-quality, affordable education.”

“Your teachers are right there to help you”

Nearly 52 percent of BC3’s students as of Aug. 31 were enrolled in associate degree transfer programs, according to Sharla Anke, the college’s assistant dean of institutional research and planning.
About 48 percent were enrolled in programs in which they can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation, such as associate degree career programs and certificate or workplace certificate programs.
BC3’s student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1 and the lowest of the nine other institutions in BestColleges.com’s Top 10 in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
“The ratio is hard to compete with here at BC3,” said Terence Rice, 21, of Neshannock Township, Lawrence County, an accounting student at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing in New Castle. “You feel a little bit more accountable to do your work when you are in a class with maybe fewer people. As a student, it has helped me to learn better than I ever have, truly.”
Veronica Lenzi, 19, of West Middlesex, Mercer County, is a general studies student at BC3 @ LindenPointe in Hermitage, which her brother and sister attended.
“I get so many teachers coming up to me and saying, ‘Oh, you’re Victoria’s little sister,’” Lenzi said. “They remember her so much. I want to be able to make an impression on them like that also. …
“Universities, the bigger they are, the less connected they usually are with their students. Smaller community colleges like BC3 are able to connect to their students so much more. If you are struggling with anything, your teachers are right there to help you. It just feels like a supportive environment.”
Cigola is a general studies student at BC3 @ Armstrong who intends to become a traveling nurse.
“The professors at BC3 want you to be prepared,” Cigola said. “They want you to succeed. They make sure that you know it. They make sure you are actually absorbing and retaining the information. It keeps me in check. It makes me want show up and makes me want to be there.”
“As a college student, you have work, class. Sometimes it’s hard to get the (work) hours that you need. When trying to get started as a young adult, being able to save as much money as possible is very important.”
Connor Cigola, BC3 @ Armstrong student

“Save as much money as possible”
Students who attend a community college for their first two years can save an estimated $20,000 on the cost of higher education, according to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.
BC3’s $5,328 average net price in 2021-2022 was the lowest of the nine other institutions in BestColleges.com’s Top 10 in 2023, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
The lowest average net price in 2021-2022 for Pennsylvania residents attending regional public four-year universities was $17,873, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Cigola works 36 hours per week at a sporting goods store.
“As a college student, you have work, class,” Cigola said. “Sometimes it’s hard to get the (work) hours that you need. When trying to get started as a young adult, being able to save as much money as possible is very important.”
The college’s Education Foundation in 2022-2023 awarded a record $281,000 in scholarships to BC3 students and this year has a record 155 named financial awards available.
Only residents of seven other states have average monthly student-loan payments higher than do Pennsylvanians with $216.38, according to an April 5 report by LendEDU, a website that provides comparisons for loans, credit cards and other financial products.
“I know some people who are in a good bit of debt,” Cigola said. “It’s terrible. They hate it. They don’t know how they are going to pay it off. They hope they can get a good job so they can pay it off.”
Cigola plans to graduate debt-free from BC3, as did 75 percent of the college’s Class of 2023.

New facility “looks more like a university”
BC3 opened BC3 @ Armstrong in Manor Township, Armstrong County, in 2015 to serve a county under-represented by higher education. BC3 @ Armstrong in Ford City encompasses 15,000 square feet – 13,000 more than the dedicated space available at BC3’s former location at the NexTier Adult Learning Center.
“It’s great,” Cigola said. “It’s a great environment. It looks more like a university.”
BC3 @ Armstrong’s fall open house will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at 1100 Fourth Ave., Ford City. Prospective students can RSVP at bc3.edu/open-house
Following BC3 in BestColleges.com’s 2023 rankings were No. 2, Bucks County Community College, Newtown; No. 3, Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell; No. 4, Northampton County Area Community College, Bethlehem; No. 5, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, Johnstown; No. 6, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Schnecksville; No. 7, Mercyhurst University-North East Campus; No. 8, Community College of Beaver County, Monaca; No. 9, Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke; No. 10, Delaware County Community College, Media.
View photos of BC3 @ Armstrong in Ford City: