Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

The $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition for America’s community colleges—as President Obama called it, “basically the Oscars for great community colleges.” The Aspen Prize honors colleges with outstanding achievement in five critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, and equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

By focusing on student success and lifting up models that work, the Aspen Prize aims to celebrate excellence, advance a focus on equitable student success, and stimulate replication of effective culture and practice. 

The 150 community colleges that are eligible to apply for the 2023 Aspen Prize have been announced. Access the list via the button below.

Institutions eligible to apply can learn more about the application, the data we collected to select eligible institutions, and what to expect in the coming months using the resources below.

In this short video 2021 Aspen Prize winners and finalists share their perspective on how the application and review process helped their colleges reflect on what they’re doing well and where they need to improve to better serve their students.

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For any questions about the 2023 Aspen Prize application process, please contact Rebecca Lavinson, Senior Program Associate: rebecca.lavinson@aspeninstitute.org