Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Seward County Community College

At $11,350, graduates here face considerably less debt than the Kansas median of $14,544 for practical nursing programs—and well below the national median of $14,803. That lighter debt load matters when paired with first-year earnings that similar Kansas programs suggest will land around $43,321. The 0.26 debt-to-earnings ratio means these graduates would owe roughly three months' salary, a manageable starting point for entering the nursing workforce.

The caveat: these earnings figures come from Kansas state medians since Seward County's graduate sample is too small for the Department of Education to publish. Looking at peer programs gives some context—top Kansas performers like Donnelly College and Kansas City Kansas Community College report outcomes in the $48,000-$49,000 range, while others cluster closer to this $43,321 estimate. Geographic factors likely play a role; Liberal sits in southwest Kansas where healthcare wages may differ from urban markets.

For families weighing this investment, the low debt burden is the clearest advantage. Even if actual outcomes fall somewhat below the state median, owing $11,350 leaves room for financial recovery that programs with $15,000+ debt don't offer. The limitation is uncertainty—without school-specific data, you're relying on statewide patterns to predict individual results. If your child can minimize living expenses and graduate with debt near or below this median, the fundamentals suggest a viable path into nursing.