Public · Community college
Cowley County Community College
Arkansas City, Kansas · Distant town
- 22%
- Transfer rate
- $7,175
- Avg net price
- 45%
- Grad / completion
- $37,723
- Median earnings
Cowley County Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Arkansas City, Kansas (distant town setting), enrolling 1,543 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas City is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of the county. In 1601, New Mexico Governor Juan de Oñate led an expedition across the Great Plains and found a large settlement of Indians he called Rayados. They lived along the Walnut River in the eastern part of Arkansas City. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 46 miles to Wichita, KS
- To the ocean
- 518 miles
- Nearest airport
- 46 miles to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National (ICT)
How Cowley County Community College compares
Higher than 31% · #31 of 45 in Kansas
Higher than 30%
Higher than 59% · #26 of 42 in Kansas
Cheaper than 82% · #10 cheapest of 46 in Kansas
Lower than 73%
Lower than 49%
Larger than 79%
Percentiles compare Cowley 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
- Women92360%
- Men62040%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White61%
- Black6.3%
- Hispanic14%
- Asian1.0%
- Other or multiracial18%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,543
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 35%
- First-generation students
- 40%
- Students over 25
- 25%
- Median family income
- $31,967
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $50,913
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 534 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kansas69%
- Other U.S. states18%
- International13%
A regional draw: about 69% of first-years come from Kansas, the rest from elsewhere.
13% 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
- $4,800
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,600
- Room & board
- $6,600
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $13,534
- Average net price
- $7,175
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
- 45%
- First-year retention
- 63%
- Transferred to another college
- 22%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $33,469
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $37,723
- Median debt at graduation
- $8,000
- Students with federal loans
- 22%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 28%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 516
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 33%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,143
- Meal plan (year)
- $2,957
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 411 (210 men · 201 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 (9)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,235 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 71% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,280. 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 448 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)
- $37,723
- Typical debt at graduation
- $8,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 21%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 47%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $10,111 (29%) 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
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 34.9″
- Annual snow
- 8.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winfield Strother Fld AP, KS US station (7.4 mi from campus).
What Cowley County Community College graduates study — and earn
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 Cowley County Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Cowley County Community College side by side →
Seward County Community College
Liberal, Kansas · Remote town · 137 mi to Amarillo
- Students
- 1,166
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $41k
Garden City Community College
Garden City, Kansas · Remote town · 193 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 1,474
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $42k
Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology
Wichita, Kansas · Large city · 8 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 2,828
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $39k
Labette Community College
Parsons, Kansas · Remote town · 91 mi to Tulsa
- Students
- 801
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 32%
- Earnings
- $38k
Allen County Community College
Iola, Kansas · Remote town · 92 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 810
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 30%
- Earnings
- $40k
Barton County Community College
Great Bend, Kansas · Fringe rural · 91 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 2,455
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $40k
Colleges near Cowley County Community College
Southwestern College
Winfield, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 924 students
Ponca City Beauty College
Ponca City, OK · Private for-profit · Certificate · 38 students
Pioneer Technology Center
Ponca City, OK · Public · Certificate · 89 students
Northern Oklahoma College
Tonkawa, OK · Public · Associate · 1,941 students
Heartland Welding Academy
Andover, KS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 47 students
Sami Halaseh Institute
Andover, KS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 30 students
Wichita Technical Institute
Wichita, KS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 778 students
Old Town Barber College
Wichita, KS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 97 students
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.













