Colby Community College

What Colby Community College does

Colby Community College (CCC) is a public two-year community college established in 1965 in Colby, Kansas, governed by a Board of Trustees and coordinated by the Kansas Board of Regents. It serves primarily Northwest Kansas through a 14-county service area, with selective-admission Associate of Applied Science and certificate programs in healthcare (Veterinary Nursing — on-campus since 1969 and via distance learning, Practical Nursing, Associate Degree Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Dental Hygiene, CNA/CMA), agriculture (Beef Production, Horse Production & Management), criminal justice, business, and renewable energy. The college also pursues a transfer pathway for students completing foundational credits before moving to four-year institutions, plus concurrent enrollment for Kansas high school students and F-1 international students from countries including the Bahamas, Canada, France, Italy, and New Zealand.

The college's core technology stack centers on the Canvas Learning Management System for online and hybrid courses, aggregated through an in-house ePortal that links Google email, Canvas, TrojanWeb (the secure student portal), and the CCC Help Desk. The ColbyConnect platform serves as the unified enrollment gateway for distance learners across multiple programs. Supporting integrations include Honorlock (online proctoring for the Distance Learning Veterinary Nursing Program), Office 365 (free for students and employees), and Parchment (electronic transcript delivery). The Veterinary Nursing program is supported by a 60-acre agricultural center east of Colby, with on-campus training on direct digital radiology, class IV laser therapy, and color Doppler ultrasound.

CCC is funded through a mix of Kansas Board of Regents state appropriations, tuition and fees, financial aid (including the Kansas Promise Scholarship), and the Colby Community College Endowment Foundation. Standard tuition is $50 per credit hour covering tuition, fees, and books; the Colby Commitment Scholarship provides free tuition, fees, and books to free-and-reduced-lunch students in the 14-county service area and all Thomas County high school students, renewed annually through Spring 2027. The college holds multiple programmatic accreditations (AVMA CVTEA, ACEN, CAPTE, Kansas State Board of Nursing) and institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, with the next ACEN visit scheduled for spring 2029. In October 2025, the Aspen Institute named CCC one of 200 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

Name

Colby Community College

Legal name

Colby Community College

Website

https://colbycc.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Colby Community College is a public two-year college in Colby, Kansas, serving Northwest Kansas with AVMA-accredited veterinary nursing, nursing, PTA, dental hygiene, and agriculture programs, plus an online ColbyConnect platform. It offers $50/credit-hour tuition and a free-tuition Colby Commitment Scholarship for its 14-county service area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Community College)

NAICS

Junior Colleges (6112), Junior Colleges (61121), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Community Colleges (EDAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Junior Colleges (Associate-Degree Granting) (EDAHADAC), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Community college education
• Associate degree programs
• Vocational healthcare training
• Online distance learning
• Technical certificate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Colby

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Public community college funded primarily through tuition and fees from in-state and out-of-state students, with state funding from Kansas Board of Regents.
2. Endowment and Donations: Colby Community College Endowment Foundation provides scholarship opportunities to offset educational expenses for students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Colby Community College is a public two-year community college that awards Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees, plus technical certificates and certificates of completion, across healthcare, agriculture, criminal justice, business, and renewable energy disciplines. It delivers instruction on the Colby and Norton campuses in Kansas and online through the ColbyConnect platform powered by Canvas LMS, and serves traditional students, concurrent high school students, international students, and adult learners.

Product overview

Colby Community College is a higher education institution offering a portfolio of career-focused academic programs. The college provides Associate of Applied Science degrees in healthcare fields (Veterinary Nursing with on-campus and distance learning options, Nursing with PN and ADN tracks, Physical Therapist Assistant, Dental Hygiene), agriculture (Beef Production, Horse Production & Management), criminal justice, business management, and sustainable/renewable energy. Certificate programs include CNA/CMA and technical certificates. Online programs are delivered through the ColbyConnect platform, which serves as the unified gateway for distance education across multiple disciplines including veterinary nursing, business, and renewable energy. The college operates selective admission programs in healthcare that require additional applications beyond general admission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On-Campus Veterinary Nursing Program An AVMA CVTEA-accredited Associate of Applied Science program established in 1969, providing hands-on veterinary nursing training with college-owned animals (dogs, cats, cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, and birds) and on advanced technologies such as direct digital radiology, class IV laser therapy, and color Doppler ultrasound. Designed for students seeking immediate entry into veterinary technology careers.
• Distance Learning Veterinary Nursing Program (DLVNP) An AVMA CVTEA-accredited online veterinary nursing program in which students complete classroom coursework online with no campus visits, gain hands-on experience at partner veterinary hospitals, and have access to optional on-campus weekend mentorships for large animal, laboratory animal/exotic pet, and microbiology courses. Designed for students who need a fully online pathway to veterinary technician credentials.
• Practical Nursing (PN) Certificate A certificate program preparing students to become licensed practical nurses (LPNs), offered at both the Colby and Norton campuses. The program meets two days per week for lecture/lab with twice-weekly clinicals from August to May, with the Norton cohort accepting 20 students per year. Designed for students pursuing entry-level nursing credentials.
• Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) An Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing for students who already hold an LPN license or RRT/paramedic certification, preparing them for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam. A full-time day program meeting two days per week with periodic clinicals. Approved by the Kansas State Board of Nursing and accredited by ACEN.
• Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program A CAPTE-accredited Associate of Applied Science program arranged in a 1+1 format. The sophomore year consists of lecture/lab sessions and supervised clinical experiences in healthcare facilities. Designed for students pursuing careers as physical therapist assistants.
• Dental Hygiene Program An Associate of Applied Science program in dental hygiene with selective admission, including clinical experiences with supervised client care in dental facilities. Designed for students pursuing dental hygiene credentials.
• Criminal Justice Program An intensive Associate of Applied Science program for students entering the criminal justice field, with an option to complete KLETC or equivalent law enforcement academy training, with credits transferable back to CCC. Designed for students pursuing careers in law enforcement and criminal justice.
• Beef Production Program An Associate of Applied Science degree program focused on beef cattle production and management, leveraging the 60-acre agricultural center east of Colby for hands-on training. Designed for students pursuing careers in beef cattle production and agricultural management.
• Horse Production & Management Program An Associate of Applied Science degree program in horse production and management, including equestrian team opportunities. Designed for students pursuing careers in equine management and the horse production industry.
• ColbyConnect Online Learning Platform The online enrollment platform of Colby Community College providing web-based access to associate degrees (Associate of Arts in English, Education, and General Studies; Associate of Science in Accounting/Finance and Business Management; Associate of Applied Science in Business Management, Alternative Energy, and Veterinary Nursing), technical certificates, and certificates of completion. Designed for distance learning students.
• CNA/CMA Certificate Programs Certified Nursing Aide (CNA, 5 credit hours) and Certified Medication Aide (CMA, 4 credit hours) certificate programs. CNA prepares students for the Kansas Certified Nurse Aide exam, with CMA requiring CNA licensure as a prerequisite. Designed for students pursuing entry-level healthcare certifications.
• Kansas Promise Scholarship Eligible Programs Scholarship-eligible programs at Colby Community College including Advanced Manufacturing and Building Trades (Telecommunications, Solar Photovoltaic, Wind Technology, Alternative Energy), Early Childhood Education, and Healthcare programs (Dental Hygienist, PTA, Nursing). Designed for students pursuing high-demand fields with financial support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Two-year graduation rate of 48.5%, ranking third in Kansas
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Garden City Community College: Another public Kansas community college serving western Kansas; comparable in size, mission, and rural service area, and competes for the same in-state student pool and Kansas Board of Regents funding.
• Highland Community College (Kansas): Public Kansas community college offering associate degrees and workforce programs with comparable rural reach, athletic programs, and state-level accreditation under the Kansas Board of Regents.
• Cowley County Community College: Public Kansas community college with AVMA-accredited veterinary nursing program, providing a direct peer benchmark for both residential and online veterinary technician education.
• Dodge City Community College: Public two-year college in western Kansas offering associate degrees, technical certificates, and athletic programs. Directly comparable as a Kansas community college competing for the same regional students.

Regional players

• Walla Walla Community College: Rural Pacific Northwest community college with strong veterinary technician and allied health programs; useful benchmark for a small rural college with selective-admission healthcare pathways.
• Manhattan Area Technical College: Kansas technical college offering associate degrees and technical certificates; comparable career-and-technical-education focus and competes for similar Kansas students seeking workforce credentials.
• San Juan College: Public community college serving a rural Four Corners region with similar healthcare and trades programs; useful benchmark for rural community colleges pursuing distance learning growth.
• Northwest Kansas Technical College: Technical college in the same Northwest Kansas service region; shares overlapping technical/trade programs and competes for the same 14-county prospective students.

Emerging players

• Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU): Large online non-profit university competing for distance-learning associate and bachelor's-seeking students with low tuition; an emerging threat to CCC's ColbyConnect platform.
• Penn Foster: National online education and credentialing provider that competes with CCC's distance learning offerings (especially veterinary technician and business programs) on accessibility and price.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ColbyCCollege
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ColbyCC
• Facebookfacebook.com/colbyccollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colby-community-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/colbyccollege

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Colby Community College