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News Release

LCSC ranked best in the nation for serving non-traditional students

LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College is ranked as the top college in the United States for serving non-traditional students by Best College Reviews, the organization announced this week.

Best College Reviews describes itself as an authoritative, objective and editorially independent college review journal that was started with the goal of competing with US News & World Report’s annual college rankings. BCR’s mission is to help students make informed decisions on their path to academic success.

Earlier this year, BCR ranked LCSC at No. 18 nationally for the best online RN to BSN program.

In compiling the college rankings for non-traditional students, BCR awarded points based on certain criteria, which included range of non-traditional offerings for students, range of academic offerings, flexibility in degree track for students who work full-time or are raising a family, and accolades and rankings from other respected education publications. A bonus point was awarded for noteworthy features that help the college serve non-traditional students. The data was gathered from College Navigator and from each institution’s official website.

LCSC received 22 out of 25 possible points, which put it one point ahead of both Portland State University and the University of Houston in the rankings.

In the notification email, BCR said LCSC was chosen No. 1 for a number of reasons, including “its dedication to interaction with the surrounding community in the form of service in local nonprofit organizations among them. In addition, the wide range of both degree options as well as scholarship opportunities available specifically to non-traditional students. Combined with its affordability and a remarkable 13:1 student to faculty ratio, Lewis-Clark State College is an ideal choice for any non-traditional student seeking to further their education.”

“LCSC has always taken seriously its role in meeting the needs of non-traditional students,” LCSC president J. Anthony (Tony) Fernandez said. “Very often these students are working adults who must juggle family and work obligations with their desire to earn a college degree. This college understands their needs and meets them.”

A non-traditional student is defined as a student who is at least 25 years of age and has not continuously attended college immediately after graduating from high school. For LCSC’s 2017 fall semester enrollment, LCSC had 1,115 non-traditional students among its total headcount of 3,746 students. The college also continues to grow its traditional population with another increase in the fall in students enrolling immediately after high school.

LCSC Vice President for Student Affairs Andy Hanson said the college’s bold prior learning assessment program combined with its online course offerings help make it easier for adults to start or continue their college education.

“We have the right tools to be a good hub for adult learning,” he said. “We also have an Adult Basic Education Center so we can meet people at any point along their academic skill spectrum and advance them. I think we are comprehensive with our services to non-traditional students where a lot of other schools may not be.”

The BCR rankings can be found here: https://www.bestcollegereviews.org/top/non-traditional-students/