Public · Community college

Western Nebraska Community College

Scottsbluff, Nebraska · Remote town

#3 best value in Nebraska
13%
Transfer rate
$5,474
Avg net price
37%
Grad / completion
$38,729
Median earnings

Western Nebraska Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Scottsbluff, Nebraska (remote town setting), enrolling 893 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 893 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold wintersSnowy

About Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States, in the Great Plains region. Scottsbluff was founded in 1899 by the Lincoln Land Company, a subsidiary of the Burlington Railroad. By 1900, the Burlington Railroad laid tracks into the town and placed a discarded boxcar next to the tracks as a temporary depot. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
662 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Western Neb. Rgnl/William B. Heilig (BFF)

How Western Nebraska Community College compares

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 21% · #13 of 17 in Nebraska

First-year retention53%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,729

Higher than 64% · #7 of 14 in Nebraska

Average net price$5,474

Cheaper than 89% · #3 cheapest of 16 in Nebraska

Median debt at graduation$9,000

Lower than 66%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment893

Larger than 71%

Percentiles compare Western Nebraska 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 Nebraska.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

893undergrads
  • Women51658%
  • Men37742%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White54%
  • Black3.5%
  • Hispanic27%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
893
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
48%
Students over 25
22%
Median family income
$28,423
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$58,995
Endowment
$6,735,079

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$3,840
Out-of-state tuition
$4,410
Room & board
$9,340
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$13,939
Average net price
$5,474

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
37%
First-year retention
53%
Transferred to another college
13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,557
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,729
Median debt at graduation
$9,000
Students with federal loans
8%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
45%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
37%
Low-income (Pell)
17%

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
336
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
152 (88 men · 64 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 (5)

Baseball47
Soccer45
Basketball25
Softball21
Volleyball14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,569 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.3
Burglary
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
$4,420
$30–48k
$3,808
$48–75k
$7,099
$75–110k
$9,904
$110k+
$11,714

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.

67%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,091
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 67% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,091. 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 214 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)
$38,729
Typical debt at graduation
$9,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
23%
Out-earn a HS grad
45%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 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
$33,436
Men
$46,050

Men out-earn women by $12,614 (38%) 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
89°F
Winter low
15°F
Annual rain
15.6″
Annual snow
39.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.42.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Scottsbluff 1E, NE 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 Western Nebraska Community College

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

Colleges near Western Nebraska 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.