For Immediate Release
April 24, 2025
Fredericksburg, VA – Germanna Community College has been designated as one of the nation’s top Opportunity Colleges and Universities (Higher Access, Higher Earnings) by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Learning, recognizing the College as an institution that can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success. Germanna is among the top 16% of all colleges and universities.
This new, national Carnegie classification examines how Germanna fosters opportunities for student success by measuring whether it is enrolling students reflective of its communities and how the earnings of those students compare to others in their area. In 2025, 479 institutions of the total colleges and universities in the country were identified as Opportunity Colleges and Universities, which is about 16% of all U.S. colleges and universities.
“This is extremely gratifying news for Germanna and the communities it serves,” says Dr. Janet Gullickson, president of Germanna Community College. “Being nationally recognized as an Opportunity College reflects the College’s commitment to serving all students and the transformative impact we are having on the economic prosperity of our students and region. It reinforces the idea that community colleges like Germanna are the engines of economic mobility and community growth.”
As a public, comprehensive community college, Germanna provides accessible, high quality educational and training opportunities that address the communities’ learning needs. The College serves 13,500 students annually through associate degree and certificate programs, workforce credentials, and apprenticeships.
The methodology for the new Student Access and Earnings Classification uses multidimensional groupings of the 2025 Institutional Classification to evaluate student access and earnings between similar colleges and universities.
More information about 2025 Student Earnings and Access Classifications, including the methodology, can be found here.
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About Germanna Community College
Established in 1970 as part of the Virginia Community College System, we are a comprehensive community college providing quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities for the residents of the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania and Stafford and for online learners everywhere.
About the Carnegie Classification
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education developed the classification in 1973 to support its program of research and policy analysis, and it was updated in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2025 to reflect changes among colleges and universities. It will next be updated in 2028, with subsequent updates every three years.
About the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE, Pell Grants, and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education.
About the American Council on Education
ACE unites and leads higher education institutions toward a shared vision for the future. With more than 1,600 member colleges, universities, and associations, ACE designs solutions for today’s challenges and advances public policy to support a diverse and dynamic higher education sector. Learn more at www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on X (formerly Twitter) @ACEducation and LinkedIn american-council-on-education.
Media Contacts:
William Berry (Germanna)
Director of Marketing and Recruitment
(540) 834-1019
wberry@germanna.edu
Jon Riskind (ACE)
(202) 697-0741
jriskind@acenet.edu
Kito Cetrulo (Carnegie Foundation)
(650) 566-5100
kcetrulo@carnegiefoundation.org