Hudson Valley Community College Named Best Online Community College in New York State

May 25, 2021

Hudson Valley Community College has been named the best online community college in New York State for 2021.

Premium Schools, an organization that provides rankings and information on college programs throughout the country, released their 2021 list of the Best Online Community Colleges in Every State on May 10. Of the more than 35 community colleges in New York State, Hudson Valley was named the winner.

“Hudson Valley is proud to be named the best online community college in New York State by Premium Schools,” said Dr. Roger Ramsammy, president of Hudson Valley Community College. “We have always strived to be a leader in distance learning, even before the pandemic. It is thanks to the dedication of our outstanding faculty and staff that the college has been able to provide the support our remote students need to succeed academically and achieve their goals, no matter what is going on in the world around us.”

Premium Schools compared a host of factors to determine their picks for the top spot in each state, including graduation rates, average cost of attendance after financial aid, mode and quality of instruction and coursework, ease of application process, student resources, financial aid options, accreditation and college reputation, to name a few.

“Since the expansion of community college systems across America in the 70’s and 80’s, community colleges have quietly been the unsung heroes of American higher ed”, said Malcolm Peralty, chief editor of Premium Schools. “These schools tend to do a better job of preparing a local workforce in high need areas, for a lower cost, and with the flexibility needed to serve local students, than traditional universities.”

Hudson Valley has long been a pioneer in the delivery of online and remote courses, and has remained a leader in distance learning for decades. Pre-pandemic, the college offered more than 20 programs completely online. When COVID-19 hit, the transition to online and remote learning was swift, with the college pivoting to offer online, remote or hybrid options for each of its 80-plus degree and certificate programs. Since then, many hands-on training classes have returned to on-campus or hybrid formats, but the college’s online and remote course offerings remain robust. The inclusion of remote support services has also proven beneficial to students learning at a distance.