Public · Community college

McLennan Community College

Waco, Texas · Midsize city

20%
Transfer rate
$5,051
Avg net price
39%
Grad / completion
$39,163
Median earnings

McLennan Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Waco, Texas (midsize city setting), enrolling 5,668 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 5,668 undergradsMidsize cityNJCAA Division I

About Waco, Texas

Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. In historic times, the area of present-day Waco was occupied by the Wichita Indian tribe known as the "Waco" (Spanish: Hueco or Huaco). Waco is served by the Waco-McLennan County Library system. The Armstrong Browning Library, on the campus of Baylor University, houses collections of English poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Waco, TX
To the ocean
179 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Waco (ACT)

How McLennan Community College compares

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 24% · #189 of 253 in Texas

First-year retention69%

Higher than 42%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,163

Higher than 66% · #51 of 206 in Texas

Average net price$5,051

Cheaper than 91% · #28 cheapest of 252 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment5,668

Larger than 92%

Percentiles compare McLennan 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 Texas.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

5,668undergrads
  • Women3,71265%
  • Men1,95635%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White39%
  • Black15%
  • Hispanic38%
  • Asian2.0%
  • Other or multiracial6.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,668
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
25%
Median family income
$23,435
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,551
Endowment
$13,288,084

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 1,098 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas98%
  • Other U.S. states1.5%

Most first-years stay in state — McLennan Community College draws overwhelmingly from Texas.

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
$3,660
Out-of-state tuition
$5,910
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$12,920
Average net price
$5,051

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
69%
Transferred to another college
20%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$32,591
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$39,163
Median debt at graduation
$10,500
Students with federal loans
20%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
23%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
39%
Low-income (Pell)
15%
First-generation
15%

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
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
107 (66 men · 41 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)

Baseball41
Basketball27
Softball20
Golf19

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (7,850 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7
Burglary
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
$5,053
$30–48k
$4,987
$48–75k
$75–110k
$4,744
$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.

32%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,691
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 32% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,691. 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 683 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)
$39,163
Typical debt at graduation
$10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
27%
Out-earn a HS grad
46%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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
$35,770
Men
$44,874

Men out-earn women by $9,104 (25%) 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
95°F
Winter low
36°F
Annual rain
37.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waco Dam, TX US station (2.8 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 McLennan Community College

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

Colleges near McLennan 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.