Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

The $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence is the nation’s signature recognition for America’s community colleges—as one U.S. president called it, “basically the Oscars for great community colleges.” The Prize is rooted in deep research into community colleges that achieve excellent and equitable results, uncovering models of excellence that Aspen shares with the field and embeds in our professional development programs.

Introduction  |   Application Status  |   Finalists Announced  |   Aspen Prize Cycle  |   2023 Aspen Prize Winners  |   2023 Aspen Prize Ceremony  |   Winners and Finalists By Year  |   Selection Process  |   Related Resources

Introduction

The $1 million Aspen Prize – awarded every two years – recognizes community colleges with outstanding achievement in six critical areas of student success: teaching and learning; certificate and degree completion; transfer and bachelor’s attainment; workforce success; college and program access; and, equitable outcomes for students of color and students from lower-income backgrounds. Prize winners and finalists are selected based on three rounds of intensive data analysis and qualitative research by independent experts and selection committees. The effective practices and models of excellence uncovered during the Prize process are shared with the field through open-access assessment tools and publications, conference presentations, and an extensive set of professional development programs, including Aspen presidential fellowships and Aspen’s state and system partnerships.  The Prize is supported by Ascendium, the Joyce Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Applications Closed

Candidates to apply for the 2027 Aspen Prize will be determined at a later date.

Finalists Announced

The finalist institutions for the 2025 Aspen Prize have been announced! These colleges represent the amazing potential of America’s thousand-plus community colleges as engines of prosperity and social mobility.

See the List of Finalists See the Press Announcement

Aspen Prize Cycle

The 2025 Aspen Prize cycle began in October 2023 when the Aspen Institute invited 150 community colleges to apply, based on data showing strong and improving student outcomes in key areas such as retention, completion, transfer, and equity. Read more about the data model and see the list of 150 eligible colleges below.

List of 150 Eligible Institutions Aspen Prize Metrics on the Top 150 Round 1 Eligibility Model

2023 Aspen Prize Winners

Winners / $500,000 Award
Amarillo College (TX) 
Guided by a commitment to “love students to success,” Amarillo increased completion rates and delivered more students into good jobs with high salaries.

Imperial Valley College (CA) 
Imperial Valley built a college-going culture in its region, starting with deep K-12 partnerships and continuing on to clear pathways to job-ready bachelor’s degrees.

2023 Aspen Prize Ceremony

On April 20, 2023, we hosted a hybrid event to announce the winners of the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Since 2011, the Aspen Prize has been the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement among America’s community colleges. The event recording above showcases how the best community colleges achieve equitable student success outcomes, the difference they make to our nation’s communities, and how they change lives.

Watch the awards ceremony, featuring President of Paul Quinn College, Michael Sorrel and Former Governor of Massachusetts, Jane Swift.

Winners and Finalists by Year

Selection Process

To award the Aspen Prize, the College Excellence Program engages in a rigorous two-year-long process, beginning with an assessment of student outcomes at over 1,000 U.S. community colleges and inviting 150 to apply for Prize consideration. A group of semifinalists are selected from this applicant pool; from those 10 finalists are chosen and a jury determines the winner. Throughout the process, Aspen and the higher education experts they engage analyze a range of quantitative data, evaluate detailed applications from colleges, and interview a wide range of stakeholders at colleges.

Related Resources

Funders

The Aspen Prize is made possible by generous support from:
Ascendium
The Joyce Foundation
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Kresge Foundation

Contact Us

For more information, please contact: Rebecca Lavinson, Program Manager