Three Southern California schools make list ranking nation's top community colleges

Three Southern California community colleges were named among the nation's top institutions in a recent WalletHub ranking released on Tuesday. 

The ranking analyzed 650 different schools across the country, using factors like cost, student-faculty ratio and graduation rate to create the list. 

Orange County schools Irvine Valley College in Irvine and Saddleback College in Mission Viejo were ranked No. 6 and No. 14, respectively, while Riverside County's Moreno Valley College came in at No. 12. 

California was also ranked 17th in the country for having the best community colleges, according to the list, which ranked Maryland as the top state overall. 

A large number of other SoCal schools also made the list, with Costa Mesa's Orange Coast College, Golden West College in Huntington Beach and Pasadena City College among the many others.

"The magic of community colleges is that they can be a gateway to so many opportunities," said a statement from American University Professor Jennifer L. Steele. "For some students, they provide local access to certificates and training in trades and technical career. For others, they provide lower-cost entry points to four-year degrees and beyond."

The list awarded the top spot to Kansas' Manhattan Area Technical College, while State Technical College in Missouri and Pratt Community College in Kansas rounded out the top three.