Public · Community college

Independence Community College

Independence, Kansas · Fringe rural

#2 best value in Kansas
35%
Transfer rate
$3,265
Avg net price
26%
Grad / completion
$34,941
Median earnings

Independence Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Independence, Kansas (fringe rural setting), enrolling 486 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 486 undergradsFringe ruralNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Independence, Kansas

Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. The Osage Indians had settled much of southeast Kansas over the course of the 1830s and 40s and sold land claims over the course of the 1860s to incoming American homesteaders and moved into Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) where they became settled farmers, selling their whole remaining claim to the United States government in 1870 for $1.25 an acre. The William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Community College maintains the archives of playwright and alumnus, William Inge. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
74 miles to Tulsa, OK
To the ocean
510 miles
Nearest airport
67 miles to Joplin (JLN)

How Independence Community College compares

Graduation rate26%

Higher than 9% · #43 of 45 in Kansas

First-year retention44%

Higher than 7%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,941

Higher than 49% · #31 of 42 in Kansas

Average net price$3,265

Cheaper than 96% · #2 cheapest of 46 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$6,115

Lower than 94%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment486

Larger than 62%

Percentiles compare Independence 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

486undergrads
  • Women18237%
  • Men30463%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White34%
  • Black34%
  • Hispanic8.8%
  • Other or multiracial24%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
486
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
37%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$25,420
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$53,784

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,560
Out-of-state tuition
$4,950
Room & board
$7,200
Books & supplies
$816
Total cost of attendance
$8,824
Average net price
$3,265

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
26%
First-year retention
44%
Transferred to another college
35%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$29,674
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$34,941
Median debt at graduation
$6,115
Students with federal loans
19%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
37%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
26%
Low-income (Pell)
23%
First-generation
23%

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
296
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
61%
Housing charge (year)
$3,100
Meal plan (year)
$3,000
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
194 (129 men · 65 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)

Football64
Other Sports63
Basketball25
Weight Lifting16
Softball13
Volleyball13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
8.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
14
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (764 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.

6.7reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
1.7
Burglary
1.7
Rape
1.3
Robbery
1.3
Fondling
0.3
Arson
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
$2,934
$30–48k
$3,435
$48–75k
$1,685
$75–110k
$6,220
$110k+

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.

86%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,585
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 86% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,585. 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 193 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)
$34,941
Typical debt at graduation
$6,115
Debt vs. one year's pay
18%
Out-earn a HS grad
40%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 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
$28,081
Men
$40,720

Men out-earn women by $12,639 (45%) 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
91°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
45.4″
Annual snow
7.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.46.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Independence, KS US station (3 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 Independence Community College

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

Colleges near Independence 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.