Fort Hays
State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College
Public Community College in Goodland, KS. Six-year graduation rate 73%. Median 10-year earnings $38,616.
Students who entered Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College reach a median of $38,616 a decade later, a figure that trails the typical four-year outcome. The six-year graduation rate of 73% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $12,000. On economic mobility, 2.3% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.31 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
73% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. Retention is strong at 84%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. A 12:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. The undergraduate body is just 781, which shapes everything from class size to how often a required course is offered.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 344 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $12,872 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Income makes less difference than usual: $11,447 at $0–30k, $17,840 at $110k+. 83% of students receive grant aid, averaging $8,603 — common but not automatic. 75% of students borrow federally, so debt is the norm rather than the exception.
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 · 189 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 | $11,447 |
| $30–48k | $12,702 |
| $48–75k | $11,812 |
| $75–110k | $21,340 |
| $110k+ | $17,840 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 259 of these 344 students, totalling $1,623,712 — an average of $6,269 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Sherman 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)