Colby Community College
Public Community College in Colby, KS. Six-year graduation rate 55%. Median 10-year earnings $41,889.
Ten-year median earnings of $41,889 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. 55% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates leave owing a median of $8,908 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.21 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Completion is middling: 55% finish inside six years. First-year retention is 66% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 38% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The student-faculty ratio is 18:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. As a public community college, the relevant comparison is other two-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 837 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $9,230 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Income makes less difference than usual: $7,707 at $0–30k, $10,662 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 69% of students at an average of $6,839. Federal borrowing reaches 29% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 204 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,707 |
| $30–48k | $13,160 |
| $48–75k | $13,160 |
| $75–110k | $11,278 |
| $110k+ | $10,662 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 246 of these 837 students, totalling $1,379,713 — an average of $5,609 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Thomas County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)