Public · Community college

Highland Community College

Highland, Kansas · Distant rural

32%
Transfer rate
$10,454
Avg net price
39%
Grad / completion
$41,291
Median earnings

Highland Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Highland, Kansas (distant rural setting), enrolling 1,279 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,279 undergradsDistant ruralNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Highland, Kansas

Highland is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. The Highland Township was started with the founding of the Iowa and Sac & Fox Mission State Historic Site by Reverend Samuel Irvin and Reverend William Hamilton in 1837. The mission was sponsored and funded by the Presbyterians. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
422 miles
Nearest airport
49 miles to Kansas City (MCI) · major hub

How Highland Community College compares

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 24% · #34 of 45 in Kansas

First-year retention40%

Higher than 6%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,291

Higher than 74% · #16 of 42 in Kansas

Average net price$10,454

Cheaper than 68% · #21 cheapest of 46 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$8,277

Lower than 71%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment1,279

Larger than 76%

Percentiles compare Highland 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

1,279undergrads
  • Women66752%
  • Men61248%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White62%
  • Black16%
  • Hispanic4.5%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,279
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
45%
Students over 25
18%
Median family income
$29,737
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$57,231
Endowment
$6,607,881

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,080
Room & board
$8,996
Books & supplies
$1,362
Total cost of attendance
$17,914
Average net price
$10,454

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
39%
First-year retention
40%
Transferred to another college
32%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,580
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,291
Median debt at graduation
$8,277
Students with federal loans
15%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
34%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
39%
Low-income (Pell)
21%
First-generation
21%

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
400
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
31%
Housing charge (year)
$4,787
Meal plan (year)
$3,507
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
299 (208 men · 91 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 (7)

Football102
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)64
Baseball55
Basketball31
Soccer19
Softball14
Volleyball14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
9
Property offenses (2022–2024)
10

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (2,190 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.

6.3reported offenses a year
3.0 violent a year3.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.3
Fondling
1.0
Rape
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Statutory rape
0.3
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
$7,552
$30–48k
$9,253
$48–75k
$11,455
$75–110k
$13,798
$110k+
$14,818

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.

45%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,956
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 45% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,956. 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 351 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)
$41,291
Typical debt at graduation
$8,277
Debt vs. one year's pay
20%
Out-earn a HS grad
51%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.0 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
$37,901
Men
$45,921

Men out-earn women by $8,020 (21%) 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
87°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
36.8″
Annual snow
21.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Troy 3N, KS US station (10 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 Highland Community College

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

Colleges near Highland 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.