Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Sterling

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
University or college · Private nonprofit

Sterling College

Sterling, KS104 online only

Sterling College is a private nonprofit college in Sterling, KS, with about 603 students on campus.

Visit www.sterling.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
603
plus 104 studying only online
Admission rate
48%
lower than at 85% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$22,371
higher than at 61% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
41%
lower than at 75% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$45,846
higher than at 63% of U.S. colleges
In brief

Sterling College, in brief

Fewer first-year students return than at most colleges

Only 50% of full-time first-year students return for a second year, fewer than at 94% of 4-year colleges. Outcomes ↓

Rent in Sterling is below the state median

Median rent in Sterling is $689 a month, 35% below the state median. Living in Sterling ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
41%
within 6 years · Pell students 42%
Come back for year two
50%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$45,846
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$24,625
about $261 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

7.7%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$261 a month against about $3,394 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

60%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 75% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$44k
Middle income$30–75k
$43k
Higher incomeover $75k
$53k
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Sterling College?

48%

of applicants admitted

About 10 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Sterling College is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $47,185 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $33,700Room & board $9,586Books & supplies $1,382Other costs $2,517

After grants, the average family on aid pays $22,371.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$21,975

About $87,900 over 4 years · 53% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Business 24%Parks, recreation & fitness 16%Education 13%Public safety 11%Health professions 9%Interdisciplinary 4%Everything else 22%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness16 graduates a year · typical debt $25,833
$39k4 yrs out
Psychology, General10 graduates a year
—not reported
Criminal Justice and Corrections8 graduates a year
—not reported
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods8 graduates a year
—not reported
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other8 graduates a year
—not reported
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods7 graduates a year
$38k1 yr out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions5 graduates a year
—not reported
Finance and Financial Management Services5 graduates a year
—not reported
Who goes there

The students

538 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 52%Hispanic 17%Black 10%Asian 1%Two or more 6%International 11%

Women and men

Women 42%Men 58%
8 : 1
students per teacher
37%
get Pell grants (lower income)
49%
take federal loans
11%
undergrads 25 or older
9%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Sterling

22% of Sterling’s 2,303 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Sterling pages.

Sterling →
$689/momedian rent · 35% below the state$167Ktypical home valueASafety Grade20° / 93°January low / July high · 9" of snowB+Health GradeAll colleges in and near SterlingCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Sterling College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Hutchinson Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Hutchinson
18.8 mi3,749 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.