In September of 2016, Odessa College was named as one of the 10 national finalists for the  2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence , an award which is recognized among American institutions of higher education as the most prestigious and elevated affirmation of high achievement and exemplary performance that a college can receive.

Today, Odessa College was awarded $100,000 in Washington, D.C. as the "Rising Star" for its rapid student improvement. In the past five years alone, Odessa College has more than doubled its graduation rates.

"In all the years the Aspen Institute has been looking at community college outcomes we have rarely if ever seen a college that has seen such rapid and significant improvement in graduation rates as Odessa," said Josh Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.

The $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, awarded every two years, is the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America's community colleges. It has only been awarded to four community colleges since 2011, and recognizes outstanding institutions selected from an original pool of more than 1,000 public community colleges nationwide. With a particularly tight focus on student success, the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program assesses community colleges' performance and achievements in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings for graduates, 

and access and success for minority and low-income students.