Today, the Aspen Institute (Aspen) named Stanly Community College (SCC) as one of 25 semifinalists for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Rooted in deep research and backed by $1 million in award money, the Aspen Prize is the nation’s signature recognition of community colleges that deliver value for their students.
“As a first-generation college student and a proud community college graduate, this recognition is deeply personal to me. I know what it means to take that first step, often without a clear path, and how transformative the right support and opportunity can be,” said Dr. John Enamait, SCC President.
“That’s exactly what we strive to provide every day at Stanly Community College. Being named an Aspen Prize semifinalist isn’t just about our institution. It is about our students, their determination, and the belief that their goals are within reach. I’m incredibly proud of them and of the faculty and staff who walk alongside them every step of the way. For our community, this recognition affirms that Stanly Community College is delivering real results by preparing students for good jobs, supporting local employers, and strengthening the future of our county.”
The 25 semifinalists—which come from 20 states—were selected from nearly 1,000 institutions nationwide based on their outcomes data and collegewide practices aligned to achieving high and improving levels of student success. Aspen defines student success as achievement in learning and completion of a college credential, and by post-college success in the form of a good job or successful transfer and bachelor’s degree attainment.
“We start every cycle of the Aspen Prize with a simple question: Which community colleges are best at not just helping students graduate, but ensuring that what they learn and the credentials they earn actually help them meet their goals and have a better life?” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “In over 15 years of awarding the Aspen Prize, we have learned a lot about how top colleges ensure that more students obtain credentials that lead directly to good jobs or successful attainment of a bachelor’s degree through transfer. We congratulate the semifinalists for their strong and improving student outcomes and for prioritizing improvements in student success both during and after college.”
The Aspen Prize is awarded every two years and recognizes excellence across a wide range of institutions, from Florida’s large, multi-campus Valencia College in 2011 to rural Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in 2025. With each cycle, Aspen deepens its understanding of what value looks like. The top colleges—no matter their size or location—ensure students complete programs with strong regional labor market value and clear transfer pathways that lead to bachelor’s degrees.
The complete list of semifinalists can be accessed at as.pn/prize.
The Aspen Prize selection process began in October 2025, when Aspen identified 200 community colleges based on data demonstrating strong and improving student outcomes in key areas—including learning, completion, transfer leading to bachelor’s attainment, and workforce success—and invited them to apply. From there, 170 colleges submitted applications, which were reviewed by a selection committee of 15 higher education experts who evaluated each submission using both extensive data and narrative responses. Aspen then interviewed the leadership teams from colleges receiving top scores, and 25 semifinalists were selected.
In the coming weeks, the 15-member panel of experts will continue its review and narrow the field to 10 finalists, which will be announced in June. In fall 2026, teams of experts will conduct in-depth site visits to those 10 finalist colleges and review extensive data, including actual wage data for graduates. The Aspen Prize winner will be announced in April 2027.
To read more about the selection process, visit as.pn/prize.
For community colleges that want to benchmark their outcomes against the Aspen Prize top 200 colleges or custom peer groups, Aspen provides a free-to-use benchmarking tool with all the metrics used to compare 1,000 community colleges at the outset of the selection process, including newly available data from the National Student Clearinghouse. Learn more and access the tool at as.pn/prizebenchmarking.