A recent analysis done by WalletHub, a personal finance website, of 710 American community colleges, determined that American River College placed 148th overall, and 22nd among California community colleges.

Sacramento City College and Cosumnes River College also made the list, ranking slightly lower than ARC. Of the four community colleges in the Los Rios Community College District, Folsom Lake College ranked the highest placing 118th. San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton took the top slot, coming in fourth in the country.

According to its website, WalletHub’s ranking system is based on factors like tuition affordability, and overall educational and career outcomes for students. ARC tied for third lowest in-state tuition along with FLC, SCC and SJD colleges.

ARCs Public Information Officer Scott Crow spoke to the Current through email on behalf of ARC. Crow said ARC is pleased to see research studies reinforcing that community college education is a great option for students, since they provide lower tuition costs and high quality outcomes for all students.

“ARC is a smart move for students as we offer not only affordability but also excellence in our teaching faculty and partnerships with industry that help place students in good jobs,” Crow said.

Film major Jessica Kolb said this is her fourth year at ARC and she was not surprised ARC received the ranking that it did. Kolb said she’s had a great experience at ARC with tuition costs and professor’s teaching quality. Kolb said she did not qualify for financial aid, but was pleased to find ARC’s tuition cost is very affordable.

“I think it’s pretty reasonable considering it’s a community college,” Kolb said. “I think it’s the best option if you don’t have a lot of money to start [at] a community college and then transfer.”