Jefferson State Community College ranked third in Community College Week’s list of the top 50 fastest-growing public two-year schools in the nation.

Rankings were based on an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data from the fall of 2009 to the fall of 2010.

Data included the percent change in number of students for colleges with enrollment between 5,000 and 9,999 students from Fall 2009 to Fall 2010. More than 1,100 community colleges nationwide were reviewed.

JSCC had a 15-percent enrollment increase with a total of 9,688 for-credit students in the fall of 2010.

“I think it’s a testament to quality,” JSCC Director of Community Relations David Bobo said. “We definitely provide a quality education. That’s a priority for us, and that’s what we hold very high.”

JSCC is comprised of four campus locations: Jefferson, Shelby-Hoover, Pell City and Clanton-Chilton.

“Our newest one (is the) Clanton location, but we’ve seen good, steady growth there,” Bobo said. “We’re excited about that. We certainly expect the growth to continue.”

According to Bobo, JSCC has had record enrollment for three consecutive fall semesters of 2008, 2009 and 2010.

“We certainly prepare and try to plan and budget as best we can with the situation our state education funding is in,” Bobo said. “No matter how bad the economy gets, if you’re not providing a quality education, students are still not going to choose you.”