Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians at Colby Community College

Colby Community College's veterinary tech program graduates earn slightly above both the Kansas median ($34,542) and national median ($36,090), placing it in the 60th percentile statewide—a respectable showing for a rural Kansas community college. The $12,000 in median debt is notably lower than the national benchmark of $18,000, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.33 that suggests graduates can manage repayment on a vet tech salary. That's meaningful in a field where earnings typically hover in the mid-30s regardless of location.

However, the sample size here is quite small (under 30 graduates), which means a few outliers could skew these numbers significantly. The low debt is genuinely impressive and appears consistent with Colby's reasonable community college pricing, but the earnings figure deserves skepticism given the limited data. Vet tech salaries in Kansas don't vary wildly between programs—even Wichita State graduates average just under $33,000—so location and individual employer matter more than the school name on your diploma.

For families considering this path, the key question is geographic flexibility. If your child plans to stay in rural Kansas where vet tech jobs pay modestly regardless of credentials, Colby's low debt burden makes it a practical choice. Just recognize that these specific numbers might shift considerably as more graduates enter the dataset.