Public · Community college
Washburn Institute of Technology
Topeka, Kansas · Midsize city
- 6%
- Transfer rate
- $8,607
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Grad / completion
- $49,774
- Median earnings
Washburn Institute of Technology is a public certificate-granting institution in Topeka, Kansas (midsize city setting), enrolling 615 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Topeka, Kansas
Topeka is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. The name "Topeka" is a Kansa-Osage word that means "place where we dig potatoes", or "a good place to dig potatoes". As a placename, Topeka was first recorded in 1826 as the Kansa name for the Kansas River. The Topeka Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1945 and currently performs on the campus of Washburn University. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 63 miles to Kansas City, MO
- To Great Lakes shore
- 470 miles
- Nearest airport
- 50 miles to Manhattan (MHK)
How Washburn Institute of Technology compares
Higher than 59% · #18 of 45 in Kansas
Higher than 61%
Higher than 90% · #4 of 42 in Kansas
Cheaper than 76% · #13 cheapest of 46 in Kansas
Lower than 8%
Lower than 44%
Larger than 66%
Percentiles compare Washburn Institute of Technology 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
- Women36459%
- Men25141%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White53%
- Black11%
- Hispanic17%
- Asian1.1%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 615
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 13%
- First-generation students
- 38%
- Students over 25
- 14%
- Median family income
- $36,446
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 211 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kansas100%
Most first-years stay in state — Washburn Institute of Technology draws overwhelmingly from Kansas.
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
- $8,880
- Room & board
- $11,501
- Books & supplies
- $1,038
- Total cost of attendance
- $14,251
- Average net price
- $8,607
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
- 68%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 6%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $42,881
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,774
- Median debt at graduation
- $18,127
- Students with federal loans
- 8%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 43%
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,341 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: 10% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $703. 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 183 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)
- $49,774
- Typical debt at graduation
- $18,127
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 36%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 63%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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 $4,895 (10%) 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
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 37.3″
- Annual snow
- 17.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Topeka - Nws, KS US station (6.8 mi from campus).
What Washburn Institute of Technology 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 Washburn Institute of Technology
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Washburn Institute of Technology side by side →
Pratt Community College
Pratt, Kansas · Remote town · 76 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 579
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $52k
Neosho County Community College
Chanute, Kansas · Remote town · 102 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 862
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 25%
- Earnings
- $46k
Manhattan Area Technical College
Manhattan, Kansas · Small city · 109 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 342
- Tuition
- $10k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $52k
Fort Hays Tech North Central
Beloit, Kansas · Remote rural · 118 mi to Lincoln
- Students
- 441
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $47k
Colby Community College
Colby, Kansas · Remote town · 206 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 838
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 3%
- Earnings
- $42k
Salina Area Technical College
Salina, Kansas · Remote town · 78 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 330
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $42k
Colleges near Washburn Institute of Technology
Washburn University
Topeka, KS · Public · Bachelor's · 4,562 students
Rasmussen University-Kansas
Topeka, KS · Private for-profit · Associate · 359 students
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS · Public · Bachelor's · 21,217 students
WellSpring School of Allied Health-Lawrence
Lawrence, KS · Private for-profit · Associate · 37 students
Haskell Indian Nations University
Lawrence, KS · Public · Associate · 978 students
Baker University
Baldwin City, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,100 students
Ottawa University-Ottawa
Ottawa, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 870 students
Manhattan Christian College
Manhattan, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 146 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.