
Quincy, MApublicquincycollege.edu
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Quincy College is a Massachusetts community college with an open-access mission, offering a pragmatic, career-focused education primarily through associate degrees and certificates. Its identity is defined by affordability, flexibility, and a direct pipeline to the workforce, particularly in healthcare and business. While graduation rates are low, the institution prides itself on serving a predominantly part-time, non-traditional student body and boasts competitive early-career salaries for its graduates among state community colleges.
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Outcomes & value
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. divides 10-yr earnings by net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Campus & location
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quincy College operates with an open-access admissions philosophy, a hallmark of its community college mission. The process is described as simple, requiring only a meeting with an Admissions Associate, with no appointment necessary. This approach results in an exceptionally high , reported as 100% by Niche and 87.7% by Acely, reflecting its commitment to providing educational access. The student body is predominantly part-time, with part-time enrollment (1,925 students) significantly outnumbering full-time enrollment (1,097 students). The institution does not appear to have an Early Decision program, and the provided for Quincy University is not applicable to Quincy College, meaning factors like demonstrated interest, standardized test importance, and rates are not specified in the available sources for this institution.
Academics at Quincy College are squarely oriented toward career preparation and credential attainment, with a heavy emphasis on associate degrees and certificates. The college offers 3 Bachelor's degree programs, 37 Associate's degree programs, and 27 Certificate programs, available both on-campus and online. Nursing is by far the most popular major, followed by Liberal Arts and Humanities, Business, Lab Technician, and Computer Science. The curriculum is designed to be flexible and affordable, aiming to forge educational paths that fit specific career goals. The student-to-faculty ratio is reported as 18:1, suggesting the potential for more personalized attention in classrooms.
Student life at Quincy College is built around a commuter-campus model, focused on creating a vibrant and inclusive co-curricular and extra-curricular experience. The college supports more than 25 clubs and organizations, which offer involvement opportunities both on campus and in the community. There is no mention of on-campus housing in the sources for Quincy College, indicating the student population largely lives off-campus. The experience is likely shaped by its urban Quincy, MA location and the needs of its non-traditional, often working student body. Descriptions of campus life from sources about Quincy University (a separate, private institution in Illinois) are not applicable here.
Outcomes data paints a picture of a college serving a population where immediate workforce entry often takes precedence over degree completion. The graduation rate is 15%, as per the canonical figure. However, the college emphasizes strong early-career earnings for its graduates. It has topped a ranking of post-graduation salaries among Massachusetts community colleges, with an average graduate salary of $41,800 reported shortly after college. The College Scorecard reports a median earnings figure of $52,506 for students ten years after entry. Other sources note earnings one year after graduation around $35,792-$36,427. A first-year retention rate of 88% is reported, suggesting that students who persist beyond the first year are highly likely to continue.
Affordability is a central pillar of Quincy College's value proposition. The average after aid is $17,126. Financial aid is available through federal and state grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study programs, with all determined by the FAFSA. The average student grant aid is reported as $6,182, with 45% of students receiving grant aid. The average institutional grant is $2,189. The college offers a net price calculator to help families estimate costs. Federal loan programs are available, with annual limits up to $3,500 for freshmen and $4,500 for sophomores. The sources do not indicate a "no-loan" policy or a commitment to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need without loans.
Quincy College stands out as a starkly pragmatic and accessible institution. It forgoes the selective admissions arms race entirely, welcoming nearly all applicants to focus on its core mission: providing affordable, career-ready credentials. Its standout feature is the tangible return on investment for completers, boasting the highest post-graduation salaries among Massachusetts community colleges. This success is driven by its focused program array, particularly in high-demand fields like Nursing and allied health. It serves a specific and vital niche—the part-time, commuter, and adult learner seeking a direct path to a better job without the trappings or cost of a traditional residential college experience. The high retention rate for returning students suggests that for those who engage, the support and value are clear.