Public · Community college

Barton County Community College

Great Bend, Kansas · Fringe rural

15%
Transfer rate
$9,905
Avg net price
33%
Grad / completion
$40,428
Median earnings

Barton County Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Great Bend, Kansas (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,455 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,455 undergradsFringe ruralNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Great Bend, Kansas

Great Bend is a city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. Prior to American settlement of the area, the site of Great Bend was located in the northern reaches of Kiowa territory. From 1947 to 1989, Great Bend was the home of the Argonne Rebels Drum and Bugle Corps. Under the direction of Glenn and Sandra Opie, the corps achieved national fame, most notably winning the American Legion national championships in 1971, 1972, and 1973. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
91 miles to Wichita, KS
To Great Lakes shore
633 miles
Nearest airport
42 miles to Hays (HYS)

How Barton County Community College compares

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 16% · #40 of 45 in Kansas

First-year retention52%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,428

Higher than 70% · #19 of 42 in Kansas

Average net price$9,905

Cheaper than 71% · #18 cheapest of 46 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$9,501

Lower than 51%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment2,455

Larger than 84%

Percentiles compare Barton County Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Kansas.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

2,455undergrads
  • Women1,46560%
  • Men99040%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black16%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Asian3.3%
  • Other or multiracial8.7%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,455
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
19%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
38%
Median family income
$30,428
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$60,507
Endowment
$13,864,287

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 740 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas80%
  • Other U.S. states11%
  • International9.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Barton County Community College draws overwhelmingly from Kansas.

9% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$3,680
Out-of-state tuition
$4,960
Room & board
$6,840
Books & supplies
$1,470
Total cost of attendance
$15,356
Average net price
$9,905

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
33%
First-year retention
52%
Transferred to another college
15%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,095
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,428
Median debt at graduation
$9,501
Students with federal loans
8%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
36%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
33%
Low-income (Pell)
29%
First-generation
28%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
431
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
18%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
369 (215 men · 154 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Soccer73
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)56
Baseball48
Basketball35
Wrestling28
Tennis26
Bowling26
Swimming21
Golf19
Softball19
Volleyball18

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (5,092 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.3reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.3
Rape
0.7
Burglary
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$10,020
$30–48k
$8,027
$48–75k
$10,270
$75–110k
$11,117
$110k+
$11,147

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

66%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,334
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 66% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,334. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 413 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$40,428
Typical debt at graduation
$9,501
Debt vs. one year's pay
24%
Out-earn a HS grad
46%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$36,593
Men
$48,582

Men out-earn women by $11,989 (33%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
91°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
27.3″
Annual snow
11.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Great Bend 3W, KS US station (6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Barton County Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Barton County Community College side by side →

Colleges near Barton County Community College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.