Best Community Colleges in Kentucky

West Kentucky Community and Technical College serves over 9,000 students annually and offers over 250 academic and professional programs. The college has been consistently ranked as one of the best community colleges in Kentucky.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College has also received national recognition for its excellence in community college education from the nonprofit Aspen Institute. The college offers online, hybrid, and on-campus education options. In addition to these options, the college also offers flexible courses and a strong graduate success rate.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College offers nine fully online programs at the associate, diploma, and certificate levels. Remote learners can choose from programs such as logistics and operations management, business administration systems, marine technology, and computer-aided drafting and design, students can complete their coursework in this program without visiting campus. Most courses are delivered in a fully asynchronous format that requires no class login times.

Madisonville Community College serves over 2,700 students from its campus in Madisonville. The college is ranked among the best community colleges in Kentucky.

The school offers quite a wide selection of degree and certificate programs in areas such as paralegal technology, agriculture, computer science, and business administration.

MCC offers strong health science programs, with options in emergency medical services, biomedical systems technology, occupational therapy assistance, health science technology, and integrated nursing.

Health science students also benefit from the school’s comprehensive Interprofessional Simulation Program, which offers a fully functional, hospital-based simulation environment.

Education majors can also complete their bachelor’s degree at MCC through the school’s 2+2 education program. With concentration tracks in special education, middle grades math/science, and elementary education. The 2+2 program enables students to complete upper-division coursework through a partnership with Murray State University.

SKYCTC serves four Kentucky counties and operates a main campus in Bowling Green and operates satellite campuses in Glasgow and Franklin.

The school offers transfer programs in arts and sciences and professional programs such as culinary arts, fire/rescue science technology, air conditioning technology, medical information technology, and engineering and electronics technology.

SKYCTC offers two professional programs designed to suit working students. The SKY Flex program offers primarily online courses that requires students to visit campus once each week for a hands-on lab. The programs are focused on construction, transportation, and advanced manufacturing.

Maysville Community and Technical College operates campuses in Maysville, Licking Valley, Rowan, and Montgomery. Maysville is ranked as one of the top community colleges in Kentucky.

This college offers numerous educational options for working adults. It offers over 24  degree and certificate programs, including professional options related to business administration systems, automotive technology, medical laboratory technology, physical therapy assistance, and diesel technology. Maysville also offers transfer programs in the arts and sciences.

The college offers the Work Ready Kentucky program, this program trains students in high-demand career fields such as construction, healthcare, manufacturing, information technology, and logistics.

Students who do not possess an associate or bachelor’s degree are eligible for this program, this program allows qualified applicants to complete up to 60 tuition-free credits through a special scholarship.

Gateway Community and Technical College located in Florence serves about 4,000 students each year. The college offers programs in more than 30 areas of study and academic and professional pathways. Gateway maintains partnerships with hundreds of local businesses that enable students to participate in short-term training and other technical education opportunities.

Some of the school’s most popular programs include commercial driver’s license training, criminal justice, massage therapy technology, and energy technologies.

Students interested in a specialized technical education can take advantage of the NKY FAME which is a two-year advanced manufacturing technician program that emphasizes classroom and hands-on learning.

Students enrolled in this program attend courses at GCTC three days per week and work at a manufacturing company two days per week. The curriculum draws clear-cut connections between technical education and professional experience. This provides learners with skills that they can apply in areas such as mechanics, robotics, and electronics.

Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College is located in Cumberland and maintains campuses in Pineville, Harland, Whitesburg, and Middleboro. The college largely serves students in eastern Kentucky and neighboring counties in Tennessee and Virginia.

The school offers programs in associate of arts, science, and applied science, the college also offers professional diploma and certificate programs.

Students who are interested in a four-year degree can explore several associate transfer programs that lead to bachelor’s tracks at Kentucky colleges. Students can pursue degrees in fields such as psychology, education, biology, social work, pre-med, and engineering.

The college’s technical programs include regional radiography, industrial maintenance technology, respiratory care, and surgical technology, etc.

SKCTC also offers a lot of courses online, most of which are offered in an asynchronous delivery mode to accommodate busy students.

Online learners also enjoy access to a wide variety of resources, including an online bookstore, virtual library services, technical support, and academic advising.

Henderson Community College is located in Western Kentucky and maintains a satellite campus in Herron. The college serves about 2,200 students each year and predominantly educates learners in  Union, Webster counties, and Henderson.

Henderson Community College school offers a wide variety of academic and technical programs.The college prides itself in its sizeable number of distance education programs. The school also offers popular campus programs in business administration, early childhood education, and engineering technology.

Henderson Community College’s full online offerings include associate of applied science degrees and associate of science. Most associate degrees feature 60 credits and take about two years to complete, while certificates require fewer credits and variable completion times.

Owensboro Community and Technical College primarily serve four Kentucky counties and neighboring Spencer County in Indiana. The college maintains and operates several campuses around the Owensboro area.

The college hosts a large variety of certificate and degree programs, including healthcare facilities leadership, criminal justice, veterinary technology, and industrial maintenance technology. The college also offers an associate of arts in fine arts with concentration tracks in theater and visual arts. The coursework offered can be completed online, on campus, or through a blend of online and on campus formats.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College serve a 12-county area in central Kentucky. The college operates a main campus in Elizabethtown with satellite campuses in Leitchfield, Springfield, and Fort Knox.

The school offers two-year degrees, certificates, and transfer programs. Students can complete their coursework online and on campus. Learners can choose from dozens of academic and professional programs, including fire/rescue science, diagnostic medical sonography, medical information technology, business administration systems, and interdisciplinary early childhood education.

The college is an active participant in the Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS). This association is a consortium of schools that offers study abroad scholarships to students in Kentucky and neighboring states.

HCTC operates five campus locations in eastern Kentucky and serves around 4,700 students. The school offers a wide selection of degree and certificate programs, including heavy equipment operations, computer-aided drafting and design, visual communication, and practical nursing.

The school also offers a professional studio musician program that emphasizes bluegrass and traditional styles, this feature makes this college more unique than other community colleges. Students can complete online and hybrid coursework.