Highland Community College, Highland

What Highland Community College, Highland does

Highland Community College is a public community college established in 1857, recognized as the first college in Kansas. It operates across three physical campuses in Northeast Kansas — the main Highland campus, the Technical Center in Atchison, and the Western Center in Baileyville — supplemented by HCC Online for distance learning. The institution serves a nine-county service area, targeting recent high school graduates, adult learners, dual-credit high school students, and workforce-development students, with articulation agreements enabling transfer to four-year institutions and employer partnerships supporting regional healthcare and manufacturing workforce pipelines.

The college delivers academic programs in nursing, welding, fine arts, and 30+ technical certifications, supported by student services including advising, counseling, disability services, housing, dining, and career services. The technology foundation consists of Ellucian Colleague Student Information System, Canvas LMS, Microsoft 365, and ClassLink SSO — standard higher-education infrastructure with no proprietary technology products or AI capabilities disclosed. An in-house marketing and multi-media team supports enrollment and brand operations.

Revenue is generated through four streams: tuition and fees, Kansas state appropriations, philanthropy via the HCC Foundation (including endowed scholarships and a Student Union capital campaign targeting $5 million in major gifts and a $10 million endowment), and auxiliary services (housing, dining, bookstore). No public revenue, enrollment, or headcount figures are disclosed. The institution reports an 80% completion rate (#1 in its category), 80% scholarship rate, and 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and operates under the leadership of its 45th President, Dr. Vincent Bowhay.

Name

Highland Community College, Highland

Legal name

Highland Community College

Website

https://highlandcc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1857

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Highland Community College is a public two-year institution founded in 1857 as the first college in Kansas, operating three campuses and an online program across a nine-county Northeast Kansas service area to deliver associate degrees, technical certifications, dual-credit, and workforce training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Community College)

NAICS

Junior Colleges (6112), Junior Colleges (61121), Junior Colleges (611210)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural/Regional Community Colleges (EDAHADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE), Public Community Colleges (EDAHADAA)

Keywords

• Community college education
• Associate degree programs
• Technical certification training
• Workforce development
• Online learning programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Highland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from student tuition and fees for credit and non-credit programs including technical education, transfer degrees, and workforce training programs.
2. State Funding and Appropriations: Government funding from Kansas state appropriations based on enrollment and performance metrics.
3. Philanthropy and Foundation: Donations and fundraising through the HCC Foundation, including endowed scholarships and major gifts. Strategic plan targets growing foundation endowment to $10 million and securing $5 million in major gifts for Student Union campaign.
4. Auxiliary Services: Revenue from housing, dining, bookstore, and other student services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Highland Community College is a public community college delivering associate degrees, transfer pathways to four-year universities, technical certifications (nursing, welding, diesel mechanics, construction technology), and workforce training. Educational services are delivered across a main Highland campus, a Technical Center in Atchison, a Western Center in Baileyville, and an HCC Online distance learning platform, serving approximately 3,000 learners in a nine-county Northeast Kansas service area.

Product overview

Highland Community College offers a multi-campus educational ecosystem comprising its main Highland Campus, Technical Center in Atchison, and Western Center in Baileyville, complemented by online learning through HCC Online. The college provides academic programs including nursing, welding, fine arts, and technical education, along with student support services such as counseling, housing, dining, disability services, and career services. The institution serves a nine-county service area in rural Kansas, emphasizing accessible, high-quality education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Highland Campus The flagship campus of Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas, providing the main site for academic programs, student life, housing, dining, administrative services, and student support. It is the original site of the first college in Kansas and the institution's headquarters.
• Technical Center (Atchison) A regional technical education center located in Atchison, Kansas, offering vocational and technical training programs including construction technology and diesel mechanics for workforce development students.
• Western Center (Baileyville) A regional education center located in Baileyville, Kansas, that provides educational access and programs for students in the western part of HCC's nine-county service area.
• HCC Online Online learning program offering distance education courses and programs for students who cannot attend on-campus classes, delivered through the Canvas LMS platform.
• Walters Wellness Center Campus wellness facility offering health, fitness, and recreation services to HCC students, faculty, and staff.
• Klinefelter Farm Agricultural resource and conference facility operated by the college, supporting agricultural education and serving as a community event venue.
• Yost Art Gallery Campus art gallery showcasing student and professional artwork, supporting HCC's art and graphic design program and the wider community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% completion rate - #1 ranking
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and general_office.

• Regional EmployerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnerships with regional employers for workforce development. Goal to establish 10 employer partnerships and 6 internship pipelines by 2030 according to strategic plan.
• Four-Year InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArticulation agreements with four-year universities for seamless student transfer. Target of 5 formal articulation agreements by 2030. Current articulation partnerships enable smooth transfer pathways.
• Regional High SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with regional K-12 school districts for dual-credit and early college programs, expanding enrollment opportunities for high school students.
• ElluciancoreTechnology or IntegrationStudent Information System (Colleague) provider for academic records, enrollment, and administrative functions.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Microsoft 365 ProPlus free to all students, faculty, and staff including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and 5TB OneDrive storage.
• ClassLinkgeneral_officeTechnology or IntegrationSingle Sign-On (SSO) platform for student and staff authentication to college systems.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Independence Community College: Public two-year community college in Southeast Kansas offering associate degrees and technical certificates. Directly comparable as a Kansas rural community college with overlapping workforce and transfer programs; HCC's President Bowhay and VP of Finance Gutschenritter both previously served there.
• Coffeyville Community College: Public two-year community college in Southeast Kansas serving a rural service area with technical and academic programs. Closely comparable in scale, mission, and rural Kansas community college operating model.
• Allen County Community College: Small public community college in rural Kansas offering associate degrees, transfer pathways, and technical certifications. Comparable in mission and rural-Kansas scale.
• Neosho County Community College: Public Kansas community college with multiple campuses serving a rural service area. Comparable multi-campus community college structure and program mix including technical credentials.
• Cowley County Community College: Public Kansas community college offering associate degrees and technical programs including welding and industrial technology. Closely comparable technical-program focus and Kansas community college context.
• Cloud County Community College: Public two-year college in North-Central Kansas with technical and academic programs. Comparable rural Kansas community college serving a multi-county region.
• Fort Scott Community College: Public Kansas community college offering associate degrees and technical certifications. Comparable rural community college profile and program mix.
• Labette Community College: Public two-year college in Southeast Kansas offering transfer and technical programs. Comparable in mission, scale, and rural-Kansas operating context.

Broad incumbents

• Kansas City Kansas Community College: Larger urban-adjacent Kansas public community college with broader program portfolio and larger enrollment. Comparable mission and public-community-college funding model, but operates at materially greater scale.

Emerging players

• Western Governors University: Online, competency-based nonprofit university serving adult learners nationwide. Comparable in offering affordable, flexible postsecondary credentials but competes primarily for HCC's online and adult-learner segments rather than on-campus students.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/highlandcc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HighlandScotties
• Facebookfacebook.com/108632028931
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highland-community-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/Highlandscotties

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highland Community College, Highland