Public · Community college

Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College

Goodland, Kansas · Remote town

6%
Transfer rate
$13,074
Avg net price
73%
Grad / completion
$38,616
Median earnings

Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College is a public certificate-granting institution in Goodland, Kansas (remote town setting), enrolling 315 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 315 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold wintersSnowy

About Goodland, Kansas

Goodland is a city in and the county seat of Sherman County, Kansas, United States. One of the earliest pieces of recorded history relating to Goodland concerns the Kidder Massacre. An 80-foot high steel easel holding a 24 foot by 32 foot reproduction of Vincent van Gogh's painting 3 Sunflowers in a Vase was erected in 2001 by artist Cameron Cross. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
704 miles
Nearest airport
84 miles to McCook Ben Nelson (MCK)

How Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College compares

Graduation rate73%

Higher than 67% · #12 of 45 in Kansas

First-year retention84%

Higher than 72%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,616

Higher than 63% · #24 of 42 in Kansas

Average net price$13,074

Cheaper than 58% · #25 cheapest of 46 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment315

Larger than 54%

Percentiles compare Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical 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

315undergrads
  • Women7323%
  • Men24277%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White48%
  • Black7.6%
  • Hispanic32%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
315
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
24%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$33,494
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$52,524
Endowment
$1,454,241

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 176 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas43%
  • Other U.S. states51%
  • International5.7%

A national draw — only 43% of first-years come from Kansas; 51% arrive from other states.

6% 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
Room & board
Total cost of attendance
Average net price
$13,074

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
73%
First-year retention
84%
Transferred to another college
6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,392
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,616
Median debt at graduation
$12,000
Students with federal loans
33%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
46%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
73%
First-generation
58%

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
223
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
71%
Housing charge (year)
$1,967
Meal plan (year)
$3,133
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
132 (84 men · 48 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 (4)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)40
Basketball39
Wrestling32
Softball21

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (752 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.

3.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.3
Rape
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$11,447
$30–48k
$12,702
$48–75k
$11,812
$75–110k
$21,340
$110k+
$17,840

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.

38%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,413
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 38% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,413. 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 168 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)
$38,616
Typical debt at graduation
$12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
31%
Out-earn a HS grad
55%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 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
$26,378
Men
$47,343

Men out-earn women by $20,965 (79%) 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
90°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
19.1″
Annual snow
30″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Goodland, KS US station (1.4 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 Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College side by side →

Colleges near Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical 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.