Is Coffeyville Community College Worth It?

Coffeyville Community College keeps costs low and debt small, but the earnings payoff depends almost entirely on what you study. With median debt around $8,000 against a net price under $6,000 a year, you won't leave buried in loans. The problem is the median graduate earns $35,246 ten years out, which is modest even for a two-year school.

Nursing is where the money is here. The associate nursing program pays $44,170, roughly $27,000 more than the general studies track, and that gap tells you almost everything about choosing a major at this school. Precision Metal Working, a certificate, lands close behind at $37,928 and feeds directly into regional manufacturing and trades work. If you come here for nursing or metalworking, the return is solid.

The Liberal Arts and General Studies track is the trap. At $16,549, those earnings sit below what many jobs requiring no degree pay, and the credential alone won't move you far in southeast Kansas. Treat that path as a transfer step toward a four-year degree, not an endpoint. If you stop there, you've spent time and money for little financial gain.

The 41.6% graduation rate is the real risk. Your low debt only stays low if you finish. leaving partway through means you carry costs without the credential that pays them back.

If your family earns under $30,000, you pay under $4,000 a year, which makes nursing or a trade certificate here a genuinely cheap route to a working wage. Above $110,000, you pay closer to $10,500, and the math tightens if you're not aiming at a high-earning program. This school fits you if you have a clear career target in health care or the trades and plan to finish. If you're undecided or want a general degree without transferring, look at where you'll end up before committing.