Public · Community college

Otero College

La Junta, Colorado · Remote town

33%
Transfer rate
$11,103
Avg net price
38%
Grad / completion
$39,018
Median earnings

Otero College is a public certificate-granting institution in La Junta, Colorado (remote town setting), enrolling 619 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 619 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold wintersSnowy

About La Junta, Colorado

La Junta is a home rule municipality in, the county seat of, and the most populous municipality in Otero County, Colorado, United States. La Junta (Spanish for 'the junction') was named for the fact it rested at the intersection of the Santa Fe Trail and a pioneer road to Pueblo. The town developed near Bent's Fort, a fur trading post of the 19th century. Tourists come to see tarantulas who are looking for mates during the cooler weather in September and into October each year, in particular during Tarantula Fest. Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, an important trading post along the Santa Fe Trail, is northeast of La Junta. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
716 miles
Nearest airport
56 miles to Pueblo Memorial (PUB)

How Otero College compares

Graduation rate38%

Higher than 23% · #39 of 49 in Colorado

First-year retention44%

Higher than 7%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,018

Higher than 65% · #22 of 44 in Colorado

Average net price$11,103

Cheaper than 66% · #13 cheapest of 49 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$10,250

Lower than 44%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment619

Larger than 66%

Percentiles compare Otero 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

619undergrads
  • Women30048%
  • Men31952%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White39%
  • Black4.0%
  • Hispanic43%
  • Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
619
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
51%
Students over 25
25%
Median family income
$23,822
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$52,317
Endowment
$860,255

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,576
Out-of-state tuition
$7,286
Room & board
$9,280
Books & supplies
$1,642
Total cost of attendance
$21,020
Average net price
$11,103

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
38%
First-year retention
44%
Transferred to another college
33%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,087
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$39,018
Median debt at graduation
$10,250
Students with federal loans
17%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
33%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
38%
Low-income (Pell)
25%
First-generation
27%

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
380
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
61%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
222 (132 men · 90 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)

Soccer60
Baseball42
Basketball35
Softball24
Rodeo22
Volleyball15
Wrestling14
Golf10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (959 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.

1.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$9,735
$30–48k
$10,817
$48–75k
$11,499
$75–110k
$15,257
$110k+
$16,207

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.

84%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,079
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 84% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,079. 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 166 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)
$39,018
Typical debt at graduation
$10,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
26%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 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
$34,507
Men
$45,583

Men out-earn women by $11,076 (32%) 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
93°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
13.6″
Annual snow
33.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.12.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, LA Junta, CO US station (0.8 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 Otero College

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

Colleges near Otero 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.