Private nonprofit · Community college

Hesston College

Hesston, Kansas · Distant rural

#5 for grad earnings in Kansas
7%
Transfer rate
$26,299
Avg net price
61%
Grad / completion
$47,495
Median earnings

Hesston College is a private nonprofit associate-granting institution in Hesston, Kansas (distant rural setting), enrolling 372 undergraduates. It has a Mennonite Church religious affiliation. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private nonprofitSmall · 372 undergradsDistant ruralNAIA Division ICold winters

About Hesston, Kansas

Hesston is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau. Hesston Public Library, named the “Best Small Public Library in Kansas” by the Kansas Library Association in 2015. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
31 miles to Wichita, KS
To Great Lakes shore
579 miles
Nearest airport
33 miles to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National (ICT)

How Hesston College compares

Graduation rate61%

Higher than 50% · #19 of 45 in Kansas

First-year retention78%

Higher than 60%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,495

Higher than 87% · #5 of 42 in Kansas

Average net price$26,299

Cheaper than 15% · #44 cheapest of 46 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment372

Larger than 57%

Percentiles compare Hesston 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

372undergrads
  • Women21558%
  • Men15742%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Black8.9%
  • Hispanic21%
  • Asian1.9%
  • Other or multiracial25%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
372
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
25%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$53,080
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$50,265
Endowment
$14,807,335

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$32,936
Room & board
$11,088
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$47,450
Average net price
$26,299

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 (within 6 years)
61%
Graduated on time (4 years)
46%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,707
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,495
Median debt at graduation
$12,000
Students with federal loans
66%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
65%

About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
46%
Low-income (Pell)
63%
First-generation
66%

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
500
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$4,224
Meal plan (year)
$6,336
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
304 (194 men · 110 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)

Soccer65
Baseball52
Basketball50
Other Sports46
Volleyball23
Weight Lifting20
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)18
Softball17
Golf13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
10.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (373 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.

4.0reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
3.3
Rape
0.7

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
$20,762
$30–48k
$19,140
$48–75k
$27,809
$75–110k
$36,239
$110k+
$26,267

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$121,188

$27,809/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$19,466
average award, among those who get one

Hesston College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $19,466. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 108 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)
$47,495
Typical debt at graduation
$12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$44,369
Men
$51,799

Men out-earn women by $7,430 (17%) 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
20°F
Annual rain
33.8″
Annual snow
8.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Newton, KS US station (8.8 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 Hesston College

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

Colleges near Hesston 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.