The Aspen Institute Names NVC as Top 150 U.S. Community Colleges Eligible for the 2025 Aspen Prize

Northwest Vista College (NVC) is the only community college in San Antonio and one of 13 in Texas that has been invited to compete for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges. The recognition was announced today by the Aspen Institute. 

The institutions selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds.

Northwest Vista College is among 150 eligible institutions invited to apply for the 2025 Aspen Prize out of a pool of more than 1,000 community colleges in the nation. 

“Northwest Vista College faculty and staff are committed to excellence in student success from enrollment to graduation,” said Northwest Vista College President Dr. Amy Bosley. “The Aspen Prize process is a way to gain valuable feedback and insights that will positively impact our students in reaching their academic and workforce goals.”  

The Aspen Prize honors community colleges with outstanding achievement in six critical areas: 

• Teaching and learning 

• Certificate and degree completion

• Transfer and bachelor’s attainment 

• Workforce success 

• Equitable access to the college 

• Equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. 

“We are honored to have Northwest Vista College, one of five Alamo Colleges, compete for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Award,” said Alamo Colleges Board of Trustees Chair Roberto Zárate. “Northwest Vista College’s student outcomes show a strong commitment to student success and eliminating poverty in San Antonio.”  

The Alamo Colleges District has a legacy of being recognized by the Aspen Institute. For the fourth consecutive time, Northwest Vista College has received an invitation to compete at the national level for this prestigious award. San Antonio College earned the coveted Aspen Prize in 2021, while Palo Alto College was awarded a Rising Star in the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

The 2023 Aspen Prize is made possible through the generous support from Ascendium, the Joyce Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation. Finalists will be announced in 2025. 

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program supports colleges and universities in their quest to achieve a higher standard of excellence, delivering credentials that unlock life-changing careers and strengthen our economy, society, and democracy.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.