Public · Community college

Colorado Northwestern Community College

Rangely, Colorado · Remote rural

32%
Transfer rate
$12,131
Avg net price
34%
Grad / completion
$43,526
Median earnings

Colorado Northwestern Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Rangely, Colorado (remote rural setting), enrolling 504 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 504 undergradsRemote ruralNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Rangely, Colorado

Rangely is a statutory town in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States. The land is what makes the town of Rangely interesting. The land is the base from which all human events unfold, whether it is the geology that brought the miners and oil men, or the water that brought the Fremonts, the Utes, the explorers, the ranchers. For decades, Rangely has been the location of an unused water tank, prized for its remarkable internal resonance, in which sounds may sustain for up to 40 seconds. Now known as The Tank Center for Sonic Arts, the 65-foot tower has been repurposed as a concert and recording venue. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To the ocean
650 miles
Nearest airport
45 miles to Vernal (VEL)

How Colorado Northwestern Community College compares

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 18% · #41 of 49 in Colorado

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,526

Higher than 80% · #12 of 44 in Colorado

Average net price$12,131

Cheaper than 62% · #17 cheapest of 49 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 86%

Undergraduate enrollment504

Larger than 62%

Percentiles compare Colorado Northwestern 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 Colorado.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

504undergrads
  • Women32464%
  • Men18036%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White65%
  • Black1.8%
  • Hispanic22%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
504
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
14%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$35,548
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$62,145

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 133 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Colorado65%
  • Other U.S. states35%
  • International0.8%

A regional draw: about 65% of first-years come from Colorado, the rest from elsewhere.

1% 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
$4,594
Out-of-state tuition
$7,304
Room & board
$9,500
Books & supplies
$1,460
Total cost of attendance
$20,923
Average net price
$12,131

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
34%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
32%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,760
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$43,526
Median debt at graduation
$12,000
Students with federal loans
14%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
48%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
34%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
36%

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
311
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
62%
Housing charge (year)
$3,274
Meal plan (year)
$5,756
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
133 (79 men · 54 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 (6)

Baseball43
Soccer34
Basketball30
Volleyball12
Softball9
Rodeo5

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,271 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Robbery
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
$8,832
$30–48k
$5,246
$48–75k
$11,418
$75–110k
$17,436
$110k+
$18,579

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.

72%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,285
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 72% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,285. 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 131 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)
$43,526
Typical debt at graduation
$12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
28%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 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
$38,738
Men
$55,546

Men out-earn women by $16,808 (43%) 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
92°F
Winter low
3°F
Annual rain
10.9″
Annual snow
29.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°50°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.71.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rangely 1E, CO US station (1.1 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 Colorado Northwestern Community College

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

Colleges near Colorado Northwestern 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.