SEATTLE (AP) — Nine Washington community colleges are on list of the 150 best in the nation.

The colleges were picked by the nonprofit Aspen Institute, which will choose a grand prize winner in early 2017. The Aspen Prize comes with a $1 million reward.

The Seattle Times reports the nine Washington colleges are Pierce College-Fort Steliacoom, Renton Technical College, South Puget Sound Community College, Tacoma Community College, Everett Community College, Highline College, Olympic College (Bremerton), Clark College (Vancouver) and Whatcom Community College.

The Aspen College Excellence Program picks its top 150 by doing a data review. They pick the schools that show the most student success, in term of persistence, completion and transfer. They want to see consistent improvement over time, as well as equity in outcomes for students of all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

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