Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Colby Community College

Colby Community College's nursing program sits right at Kansas's median for earnings—$62,370—but trails the national average by about $6,000. That 18th national percentile looks concerning at first glance, yet within Kansas, this program actually ranks at the 60th percentile, meaning it outperforms most in-state alternatives. For families prioritizing staying close to home in rural Kansas, that state-level comparison matters more than the national one.

The debt picture is reasonable at $20,680, translating to a 0.33 debt-to-earnings ratio that nursing graduates can typically manage. Compare this to top Kansas programs like Pratt Community College ($70,680 earnings) or Johnson County Community College ($64,303), and you'll see Colby's graduates earn less initially, though the gap isn't insurmountable for a newly credentialed RN.

The critical caveat here: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary significantly from these medians. If your child prefers Northwest Kansas and wants to avoid relocating to Wichita or Kansas City for nursing school, Colby provides solid training with manageable debt. But if maximizing first-year earnings matters most, other Kansas community colleges demonstrate stronger graduate outcomes—and the difference amounts to several thousand dollars annually that compounds over a nursing career.