Location: Arkansas City, KS•In-State Tuition: $4,350•Out-of-State Tuition: $6,150
Est. Earnings (1yr)
$36,490
Est. from KS median (6 programs)
Est. Median Debt
$6,642
Est. from KS median (4 programs)

Analysis

Precision metalworking programs in Kansas cluster around $36,000 in first-year earnings, and Cowley's certificate appears to track right in line with this state pattern. Based on comparable programs at Kansas community colleges, students here can expect roughly $36,500 their first year out—matching both the state and national median for this credential. That's solid middle-of-the-pack performance for a field where even top Kansas programs like Washburn Institute barely crack $40,000.

The estimated debt picture looks favorable: around $6,600 puts graduates at a manageable 0.18 debt-to-earnings ratio, well below both the state median and national benchmark of $9,000. For a certificate program serving a significant Pell grant population, this suggests relatively efficient training that doesn't overburden students. The field itself offers steady rather than spectacular wages—metalworking is skilled trades work with dependable demand but limited upward mobility in those early years.

The practical reality here is straightforward: this appears to be an affordable path into manufacturing work with predictable earnings. Your child won't likely outpace peers at other Kansas schools, but they also won't carry significantly more debt. If they're committed to metalworking and want to stay in the region, these estimated outcomes suggest reasonable value. Just recognize you're working with projections from similar programs rather than this school's actual track record.

Where Cowley County Community College Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all precision metal working certificate's programs nationally

Cowley County Community College (estimated ±10%)Other precision metal working programs

Dashed lines show national medians. Upper-left = best value.

Compare to Similar Programs in Kansas

Precision Metal Working certificate's programs at peer institutions in Kansas (23 total in state)

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SchoolIn-State TuitionEarnings (1yr)*Earnings (4yr)Median Debt*Debt/Earnings
Cowley County Community CollegeArkansas City$4,350$36,490*—$6,642*—
Washburn Institute of TechnologyTopeka$9,120$39,720*$35,996$6,642*0.17
Washburn UniversityTopeka$9,578$39,720*$35,996$6,642*0.17
Flint Hills Technical CollegeEmporia$6,196$36,731*——*—
Kansas City Kansas Community CollegeKansas City$3,150$36,248*$51,614—*—
Manhattan Area Technical CollegeManhattan$9,276$34,077*$42,926$8,250*0.24
National Median—$36,248*—$9,000*0.25
* Estimated from similar programs

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with precision metal working graduates

Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.

$60,850/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Tool and Die Makers

Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

$51,000/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:
About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At Cowley County Community College, approximately 35% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Estimated Earnings: Actual earnings data is not available for this program (typically due to privacy thresholds when fewer than 30 graduates reported earnings). The estimate shown is based on the median of 6 similar programs in KS. Actual outcomes may vary.