Public · Community college
Seward County Community College
Liberal, Kansas · Remote town
- 15%
- Transfer rate
- $6,717
- Avg net price
- 50%
- Grad / completion
- $41,445
- Median earnings
Seward County Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Liberal, Kansas (remote town setting), enrolling 1,166 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Liberal, Kansas
Liberal is a city in and the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. Early settler Seymour S. Rogers built the first house in what would become Liberal in 1872. Rogers became famous in the region for giving free water to thirsty travelers. Liberal is famous for its annual Pancake Day race that is held in competition with the town of Olney, United Kingdom for the fastest time between both cities. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 137 miles to Amarillo, TX
- To the ocean
- 608 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Liberal Mid-America (LBL)
How Seward County Community College compares
Higher than 38% · #25 of 45 in Kansas
Higher than 36%
Higher than 74% · #15 of 42 in Kansas
Cheaper than 83% · #8 cheapest of 46 in Kansas
Lower than 86%
Lower than 56%
Larger than 75%
Percentiles compare Seward County 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
- Women65256%
- Men51444%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White24%
- Black3.3%
- Hispanic57%
- Asian2.1%
- Other or multiracial13%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,166
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 21%
- First-generation students
- 57%
- Students over 25
- 17%
- Median family income
- $32,921
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $59,616
- Endowment
- $6,920,653
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 410 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kansas54%
- Other U.S. states31%
- International15%
A regional draw: about 48% of first-years come from Kansas, the rest from elsewhere.
13% 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
- $4,032
- Out-of-state tuition
- $5,408
- Room & board
- $7,780
- Books & supplies
- $1,470
- Total cost of attendance
- $12,629
- Average net price
- $6,717
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
- 50%
- First-year retention
- 66%
- Transferred to another college
- 15%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,298
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $41,445
- Median debt at graduation
- $6,500
- Students with federal loans
- 5%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 56%
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
- 240
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 21%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,000
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,000
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 192 (114 men · 78 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)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,092 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: 25% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,365. 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 251 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)
- $41,445
- Typical debt at graduation
- $6,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 16%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 54%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.6 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 $11,056 (30%) 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
- 20°F
- Annual rain
- 21.1″
- Annual snow
- 14.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Liberal, KS US station (2.1 mi from campus).
What Seward County Community 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 Seward County Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Seward County Community College side by side →
Garden City Community College
Garden City, Kansas · Remote town · 193 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 1,474
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $42k
Colby Community College
Colby, Kansas · Remote town · 206 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 838
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 3%
- Earnings
- $42k
Cowley County Community College
Arkansas City, Kansas · Distant town · 46 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 1,543
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 22%
- Earnings
- $38k
Allen County Community College
Iola, Kansas · Remote town · 92 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 810
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 30%
- Earnings
- $40k
Labette Community College
Parsons, Kansas · Remote town · 91 mi to Tulsa
- Students
- 801
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 32%
- Earnings
- $38k
Highland Community College
Highland, Kansas · Distant rural · 64 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 1,279
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 32%
- Earnings
- $41k
Colleges near Seward County Community College
Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Goodwell, OK · Public · Bachelor's · 917 students
Garden City Community College
Garden City, KS · Public · Certificate · 1,474 students
Dodge City Community College
Dodge City, KS · Public · Certificate · 1,106 students
High Plains Technology Center
Woodward, OK · Public · Certificate · 72 students
Formations Institute of Cosmetology & Barbering
Woodward, OK · Private for-profit · Certificate · 29 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.










