Cottey College
Cottey College is a private nonprofit college in Nevada, MO, with about 266 students on campus.
Cottey College, in brief
Family background barely changes what graduates earn
Ten years after starting, students from lower-income families earn a median $33,605, more than the $27,837 earned by students from families making over $75,000. Outcomes ↓
All undergraduates are women
Every one of Cottey College’s 266 undergraduates is a woman. The students ↓
Cottey College is very small
About 266 students attend on campus. With classes this small, a handful of students can move the graduation rate from one year to the next. The students ↓
Very small classes
There are about 6 students for every teacher. The students ↓
Rent in Nevada is below the state median
Median rent in Nevada is $720 a month, 30% below the state median. Living in Nevada ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; at a college this small, rates can swing from year to year.
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting
$202 a month against about $2,742 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, this college
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 74% 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
How hard is it to get into Cottey College?
of applicants admitted
About 14 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Cottey College is likely test-optional.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $39,269 a year
Before any grants
After grants, the average family on aid pays $13,805.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $48,252 over 4 years · 69% off the sticker price
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
The students
254 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
Living in Nevada
6% of Nevada’s 8,404 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Nevada pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Cottey College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
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.