Public · Community college
Northeastern Junior College
Sterling, Colorado · Remote town
- 10%
- Transfer rate
- $13,801
- Avg net price
- 56%
- Grad / completion
- $39,893
- Median earnings
Northeastern Junior College is a public certificate-granting institution in Sterling, Colorado (remote town setting), enrolling 786 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Sterling, Colorado
Sterling is a home rule municipality and the county seat and most populous municipality of Logan County, Colorado, United States. A post office called Sterling has been in operation since 1874. The community was named for Sterling, Illinois, the native home of a railroad official. Major employers in Sterling include Northeastern Junior College, the RE-1 Valley School system, and the Sterling Correctional Facility. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 113 miles to Denver, CO
- To Great Lakes shore
- 696 miles
- Nearest airport
- 88 miles to Western Neb. Rgnl/William B. Heilig (BFF)
How Northeastern Junior College compares
Higher than 44% · #30 of 49 in Colorado
Higher than 49%
Higher than 68% · #17 of 44 in Colorado
Cheaper than 55% · #21 cheapest of 49 in Colorado
Lower than 64%
Lower than 39%
Larger than 70%
Percentiles compare Northeastern Junior 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 Colorado.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women39751%
- Men38949%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black2.4%
- Hispanic20%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 786
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 23%
- First-generation students
- 38%
- Students over 25
- 32%
- Median family income
- $39,016
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $63,207
- Endowment
- $1,195,044
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 307 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Colorado84%
- Other U.S. states11%
- International4.6%
Most first-years stay in state — Northeastern Junior College draws overwhelmingly from Colorado.
5% 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
- $5,730
- Out-of-state tuition
- $8,267
- Room & board
- $8,228
- Books & supplies
- $1,460
- Total cost of attendance
- $21,558
- Average net price
- $13,801
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
- 56%
- First-year retention
- 73%
- Transferred to another college
- 10%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,367
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $39,893
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,376
- Students with federal loans
- 17%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 47%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 578
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 74%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,338
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,424
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 189 (110 men · 79 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 (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 5
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,684 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 67% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,664. 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 278 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)
- $39,893
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,376
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 24%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 48%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $5,710 (15%) 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
- 16°F
- Annual rain
- 15.2″
- Annual snow
- 36.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sterling, CO US station (0.9 mi from campus).
What Northeastern Junior College graduates study — and earn
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 Northeastern Junior College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northeastern Junior College side by side →
Otero College
La Junta, Colorado · Remote town · 91 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 619
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 33%
- Earnings
- $39k
Colorado Northwestern Community College
Rangely, Colorado · Remote rural · 170 mi to Salt Lake City
- Students
- 504
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 32%
- Earnings
- $44k
Morgan Community College
Fort Morgan, Colorado · Fringe rural · 74 mi to Denver
- Students
- 634
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $39k
Trinidad State College
Trinidad, Colorado · Remote town · 116 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 1,188
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $36k
Lamar Community College
Lamar, Colorado · Remote town · 131 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 400
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 25%
- Earnings
- $39k
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City, South Dakota · Small city · 3 mi to Rapid City
- Students
- 753
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $40k
Colleges near Northeastern Junior College
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Fort Morgan, CO · Public · Certificate · 634 students
Academy of Natural Therapy Inc
Greeley, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 13 students
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO · Public · Bachelor's · 5,598 students
Aims Community College
Greeley, CO · Public · Certificate · 3,635 students
Summit Christian College
Gering, NE · Private nonprofit · Associate · 21 students
Western Nebraska Community College
Scottsbluff, NE · Public · Associate · 893 students
Laramie County Community College
Cheyenne, WY · Public · Associate · 2,799 students
Cheeks Beauty Academy
Cheyenne, WY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 47 students
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.








