Public · Community college

Western Texas College

Snyder, Texas · Remote town

22%
Transfer rate: $3,562
Avg net price: 53%
Grad / completion: $42,508
Median earnings

Western Texas College is a public associate-granting institution in Snyder, Texas (remote town setting), enrolling 599 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 599 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Snyder, Texas

Snyder is a city in and the county seat of Scurry County, Texas, United States. Snyder is named for merchant and buffalo hunter William Henry (Pete) Snyder, who built a trading post on Deep Creek in 1878. It soon drew fellow hunters, and a small settlement grew up around the post. Snyder's economy is based on oil, gas, and wind industries. In 2012, 994 jobs were created in Snyder, leading to 20% job growth in the community, according to the Development Corporation of Snyder. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 83 miles to Lubbock, TX
To the ocean: 372 miles
Nearest airport: 74 miles to Abilene (ABI)

How Western Texas College compares

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 40% · #166 of 253 in Texas

First-year retention74%

Higher than 53%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,508

Higher than 78% · #27 of 206 in Texas

Average net price$3,562

Cheaper than 95% · #14 cheapest of 252 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$7,515

Lower than 79%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment599

Larger than 65%

Percentiles compare Western Texas 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 Texas.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women31352%
Men28648%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White38%
Black5.2%
Hispanic41%
Asian1.0%
Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 599
Student–faculty ratio: 17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 10%
First-generation students: 48%
Students over 25: 10%
Median family income: $33,609
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $49,041

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $3,300
Out-of-state tuition: $6,150
Room & board: $5,786
Books & supplies: $1,592
Total cost of attendance: $13,335
Average net price: $3,562

Outcomes

Graduated: 53%
First-year retention: 74%
Transferred to another college: 22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $35,926
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $42,508
Median debt at graduation: $7,515
Students with federal loans: 1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 35%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

53%

Low-income (Pell)

28%

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: 350
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 58%
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes: 301 (177 men · 124 women)

Varsity sports (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)93

Soccer52

Baseball48

Rodeo34

Basketball27

Softball19

Volleyball15

Golf13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$2,703

$30–48k

$2,800

$48–75k

$4,439

$75–110k

$9,015

$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.

50%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$4,770

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 50% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,770. 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 157 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): $42,508
Typical debt at graduation: $7,515
Debt vs. one year's pay: 18%
Out-earn a HS grad: 51%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 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

$35,879

Men

$53,426

Men out-earn women by $17,547 (49%) 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: 96°F
Winter low: 29°F
Annual rain: 21.8″
Annual snow: 1.8″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Snyder, TX US station (2.2 mi from campus).

What Western Texas College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

145 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$9k debt

145——$8,691 Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business ServicesCert.

51 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

51———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

34 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

34———Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

27 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

27———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

22 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

22———Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCert.

17 grads$68k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17$68,077——Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

15 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

15———Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Agriculture, GeneralAssoc.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business ServicesAssoc.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsAssoc.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———

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 Texas College

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

Lamar State College-Port Arthur

Public

Port Arthur, Texas · Small city · 87 mi to Houston

Students: 1,508
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $37k

Victoria College

Public

Victoria, Texas · Small city · 75 mi to Corpus Christi

Students: 2,351
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 26%
Earnings: $42k

Panola College

Public

Carthage, Texas · Distant town · 44 mi to Shreveport

Students: 1,388
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $36k

Ranger College

Public

Ranger, Texas · Remote rural · 81 mi to Fort Worth

Students: 971
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 28%
Earnings: $36k

Howard College

Public

Big Spring, Texas · Remote town · 41 mi to Midland

Students: 1,611
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $38k

Frank Phillips College

Public

Borger, Texas · Distant town · 38 mi to Amarillo

Students: 623
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $37k

Colleges near Western Texas College

Howard College

Big Spring, TX · Public · Associate · 1,611 students

43 mi

Southwest College for the Deaf

Big Spring, TX · Public · Certificate · 47 students

46 mi

Texas College of Cosmetology-Abilene

Abilene, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 40 students

70 mi

McMurry University

Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,176 students

70 mi

Hardin-Simmons University

Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,283 students

70 mi

Neecee's Barber College

Abilene, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 32 students

71 mi

Abilene Christian University

Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,195 students

72 mi

Wade Gordon Hairdressing Academy-Lubbock

Lubbock, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 96 students

80 mi

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.