Patriot Ledger // Published May 6, 2019 // By Mary Whitfill

QUINCY — A college ranking system run by the U.S. Department of Education has ranked Quincy College students as top post-graduation salary earners as compared to the state’s other two-year colleges.

Of the 14 community colleges ranked by College Scorecard, Quincy College was ranked No.1 in the “salary after attending” category. The results showed the average Quincy College student makes $41,800 out of college, followed by Massachusetts Bay Community College at $40,000 and Middlesex Community College at $35,400.

The College Scorecard compares schools across the country in the areas of cost, graduation rate, employment rate, average amount borrowed and loan default rate. It was launched by the federal government in 2015.

“Our academic programs – mixing the best of hands-on and classroom education – are designed to produce skillful graduates who are leaders and innovators,” Quincy College President Michael Bellotti said in a statement.

Bellotti attributed the school’s high post-graduate salaries to Quincy College’s focus on emerging industries like biotechnology, surgical technology and allied health fields.

“We continue to invest in our students as they invest in their education and are pleased to see that our efforts are paying off,” he said.

Quincy College is owned by the city, an unusual arrangement for a community college. The city budget does not fund the college, but the school is a city department and its workers are city employees and are represented by the Quincy teachers’ union.