(Brockway, PA) BC3’s ranking as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania for 2025 by Niche.com reaffirms its academic excellence and its affordability, said the director of the college’s location in Jefferson County who will introduce prospective students to BC3’s advantages at upcoming open houses.
Niche.com, Pittsburgh, researched and analyzed U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Census Bureau information, and weighed student and alumni reviews in recognizing BC3 on Aug. 29 as its top selection.
The online company publishes its findings about academics, financial aid, safety, student life and value to assist high school students reviewing colleges or universities.
“This speaks highly to the fact that we are affordable, accessible and provide quality education,” said Dr. Jill Martin Rend, director of BC3 @ Brockway. “It’s not that we are just doing well in one area. We’re hitting a number of markers. The students who are taking classes or who have taken classes at BC3 are giving us good reviews.”
The top honor is the 10th for BC3 since 2015. BC3 was also ranked No. 1 by Niche for 2023 and for 2022; by BestColleges.com for 2023, for 2022, for 2020 and for 2017; and by Schools.com in 2019, in 2017 and in 2015.
BC3 established its additional location in Brockway in 2013 to serve Pennsylvania counties under-represented by higher education. Students ranging in age in age from 17 to 65 and living in at least 116 ZIP codes have attended BC3 @ Brockway, according to college administrators.
“We take education very seriously and we work hard to maintain and provide a good student experience.”
BC3 to waive application fee at open houses
BC3 @ Brockway’s open houses will be held Sept. 30 at 1200 Wood St., Suite D, Brockway.
The first is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. for prospective students interested in BC3 @ Brockway’s associate degree career or transfer programs in business administration, business management, early childhood education (Pre K-4), general studies, office administration-executive, psychology and social work.
The second is planned for 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. for those seeking to explore BC3 @ Brockway’s career programs in health care science and Nursing, R.N. It will feature a presentation about a tuition assistance program sponsored by Penn Highlands Healthcare in BC3 @ Brockway’s service area.
The college will waive its $25 application fee at the open houses. Prospective students can RSVP at bc3.edu/open-house
Guests attending the open houses can also learn about BC3 @ Brockway’s resources such as free tutoring and student-support services and activities.
“BC3 students get a quality education,” Rend said. “We take education very seriously and we work hard to maintain and provide a good student experience.”
68% of BC3’s Class of 2024 graduated debt-free
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 affordability, and financial aid and scholarships allowed 68 percent of the college’s Class of 2024 to graduate debt-free.
BC3 @ Brockway students in 2024-2025 are paying $300 per credit in tuition and fees for an in-person course.
They would pay at least $439.75 per credit in tuition and fees for an in-person course at a regional public four-year university or $569 at a regional state-related institution’s branch campus in 2024-2025.
Approximately 88 percent of BC3 students received financial aid in the 2021-2022 academic year, the most recent information available from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
“This scholarship means more to me than words can convey. It is not just financial assistance. It is a lifeline that allows me to pursue my educational goals and provide a better future for my children.”
The BC3 Education Foundation has awarded 157 named scholarships for the 2024-2025 academic year to BC3 students from 11 western Pennsylvania counties and totaling $230,000, according to Bobbi Jo Cornetti, the foundation’s development coordinator.
Among them, Katie Maines, a 34-year-old single mother of daughters ages 17, 13, and 10 who received the $420 Jean Speicher Scholarship this fall.
“This scholarship means more to me than words can convey,” Maines said. “It is not just financial assistance. It is a lifeline that allows me to pursue my educational goals and provide a better future for my children.
“Many single parents, including me, struggle with being able to afford books and tuition on top of their financial obligations to provide for their children. This scholarship … has motivated me to pursue success at BC3.”
Maines is a member of Rho Phi, BC3’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society for two-year colleges and programs. She initially enrolled in BC3 @ Brockway’s health care science program in January 2023 after considering another college.
“Once I visited BC3 @ Brockway, I thought, ‘This is my school.’ The people were very welcoming,” Maines said. “I felt like I already had a place there.”
Maines is a Nursing, R.N., student who expects to graduate debt-free from BC3 in May 2026.
The Varischetti Family Scholarship was established with the BC3 Education Foundation in 2014 to recruit students to and retain students at BC3 @ Brockway. Nearly $257,000 in Varischetti Family Scholarships have been awarded to 643 BC3 @ Brockway students since 2015, according to Cornetti.
BC3 @ Brockway’s credits can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.
Tuition assistance used by half of R.N. grads
The Nursing, R.N., program was launched at BC3 @ Brockway six years ago to address a high-priority occupation in the North Central Workforce Development Area.
BC3 @ Brockway’s Class of 2024 in Nursing, R.N., was its largest with 24 graduates. Penn Highlands Healthcare sponsored the tuition of 12 in exchange for students signing an employment contract to work for the health care provider following graduation.
Nineteen of 37 graduates in the past two years have participated in Penn Highlands’ program.
Prospective BC3 @ Brockway students can email questions to jill.martin-rend@bc3.edu or call 814-265-1813.
