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.

PublicSmall · 1,166 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold winters

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
To the ocean
608 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Liberal Mid-America (LBL)

How Seward County Community College compares

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 38% · #25 of 45 in Kansas

First-year retention66%

Higher than 36%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,445

Higher than 74% · #15 of 42 in Kansas

Average net price$6,717

Cheaper than 83% · #8 cheapest of 46 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$6,500

Lower than 86%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment1,166

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

1,166undergrads
  • 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)

All students
50%
Low-income (Pell)
20%

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)

Soccer69
Basketball39
Baseball31
Tennis22
Softball18
Volleyball13

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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Burglary
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
$6,581
$30–48k
$9,065
$48–75k
$8,979
$75–110k
$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.

25%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,365
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$36,612
Men
$47,668

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Liberal, KS US station (2.1 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 Seward County Community College

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

Colleges near Seward County 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.