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Fort Scott Community College

#4 Most Affordable Colleges in Kansas
Public Fort Scott, KS · Town · Plains · 87% data
A Affordability A Value C- Earnings
Graduation Rate
34% D
Lower completion rate than most colleges
Earnings (10yr)
$37,213 C-
Below average for college graduates
Net Price
$5,586 A
67% less than the typical college
Enrollment
693
Earnings -9% vs avg
Graduation -40% vs avg
Net Price +-67% vs avg
Mobility Top 64%

Bottom line: A C overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 42.4× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $42.4 over 20 years. Ranked #4 in Most Affordable Colleges in Kansas.

42.4× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $42.4 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $925,959.

What The Data Says

  1. A C overall — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges on measured metrics.

  2. Graduation of 34% — 40% below the national average.

  3. Every $1 invested returns $42.4 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Why Fort Scott Community College Matters

Fort Scott Community College is a public college in Fort Scott, KS and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by an above-average alumni network. The result: measurable returns for the students it serves.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Public College
Carnegie Class
Associate's College
Enrollment
693
Setting
Town
Primary Strengths
Humanities, Health Professions, Precision Production, Culinary & Personal Services

Why students choose Fort Scott Community College

Outstanding value
Low net price against strong graduate earnings
Strength in Humanities
Its most-awarded field of study

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

C
Top 47% overall
C-
Earnings
$37,213 median
A
Value
6.7× net price
A
Affordability
$5,586/yr net
D
Graduation
34% graduate
C-
Social Mobility
1.2% climb Q1→Q5
D+
Diversity
0.45 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →

Overview

Students at Fort Scott Community College can expect a net price of just $5,586, making it an affordable option in higher education. This low cost allows students to focus on their studies without the burden of overwhelming debt.

The earnings for graduates after ten years sit at $37,213. While the graduation rate is 34%, many students find pathways to success in various fields. The college serves as a stepping stone for those looking to improve their economic standing and pursue careers in health professions, culinary arts, and technical trades.

Graduates leave with a median debt of $9,500, allowing them to enter the workforce with manageable financial commitments. Students who thrive here typically seek practical skills and a clear path to employment. With a focus on hands-on programs, Fort Scott Community College equips students for the workforce while keeping costs low.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Fort Scott Community College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Fort Scott Community College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Fort Scott Community College, located in Fort Scott, Kansas, enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 34%.

Retention Rate
61%
Full-Time Faculty
47%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$4,584
Student–Faculty Ratio
17:1
Diversity Index
0.45
First-Gen Students
40%

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Fort Scott Community College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Fort Scott Community College is $3,840, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $5,586. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $3,140 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $9,500 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$3,390
Out-of-State
$3,840
Avg Net Price
$5,586
Median Debt
$9,500
Pell Grant Rate
25%
Federal Loan Rate
24%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$3,140
Family Income $30K–$48K
$2,629
Family Income $48K–$75K
$5,555
Family Income $110K+
$9,416

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Fort Scott Community College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Fort Scott Community College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Fort Scott Community College report median earnings of $37,213, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry
$30,641
8 Years
$34,818
10 Years
$37,213
Debt-to-Earnings
0.26x
Earning > $25K
48%

Earnings Trajectory

$30,641 6yr $34,818 8yr $37,213 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (70)
23%
100% (70)
23%
100% (70)
23%
100% (70)
23%

How Fort Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation34%Earnings 10yr$37KNet Price$6KRetention61%Median Debt$10KPell Grant Rate25%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$3K$0-30K$3K$30-48K$6K$48-75K$9K$110K+

The Mobility Equation

Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?

ACCESS% from bottom 20%17.5%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%7.0%MOBILITY1.22%

College ROI Calculator

Is Fort Scott Community College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Fort Scott Community College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $5,586/year ($22,344 total). Graduates earn $37,213 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $948,303 in total earnings — a net gain of $925,959 (42.4× your investment). The median debt is $9,500, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 34% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$22,344
Projected 20yr Earnings
$948,303
Net Return
$925,959
ROI Multiple
42.4×
Cost Per Year
$5,586
Median Debt
$9,500
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
34%

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Fort Scott Community College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Fort Scott Community College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.22%, well above the typical college. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 17.5% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $56,800, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
1.22%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
7.0%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
17.5%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$77,171
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Fort Scott Community College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs above average at Fort Scott Community College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.10, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.04), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.10
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.04
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
7.6%
Support Ratio
0.99
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Endowment
$6,735,194
Federal Grants
$5,614,332

Top Programs

The fields Fort Scott Community College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Fort Scott Community College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Fort Scott Community College, located in Fort Scott, Kansas, enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 34%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Fort Scott Community College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Fort Scott Community College is $3,840, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $5,586. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $3,140 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $9,500 in federal student loans.

Is Fort Scott Community College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Fort Scott Community College report median earnings of $37,213, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

Does Fort Scott Community College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Fort Scott Community College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.22%, well above the typical college. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 17.5% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $56,800, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Fort Scott Community College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs above average at Fort Scott Community College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.10, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.04), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Similar Schools

Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Fort Scott Community College.

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

The 2026 Annual Report

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

Free · 21 pages · 5,745 institutions · 100% federal data, no surveys