Albany Technical College is eligible to apply for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Based on performance in student outcomes – including graduation rates, equity, and improvement over time – ATC is part of the top 150 community colleges that have been invited to apply for this year’s Aspen Prize. This in and of itself is an important marker of institutional performance – with only 150 selections from among approximately 1,000 community colleges evaluated nationwide. 

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.