Best Value Colleges in Kansas
We estimate how many years the earnings premium over a typical Kansas high school graduate would take to repay four years of net price. Across the 16 public and private nonprofit colleges that qualify, the estimate runs from 2.1 years at the fastest to 6.6 years at the slowest.
The median college needs 3.2 years to repay its net price, in line with the national median of 3.2 years. Public colleges (7) have a median payback of 2.6 years against 4.9 years for the 9 private nonprofit colleges, so public options tend to repay faster here.
University of Kansas and Wichita State University share first place at 2.1 years, with Fort Hays State University next at 2.3 years. Payback is an estimate, not a forecast: it assumes four years of net price and the earnings of past graduates, and it says nothing about your own major or career.
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Public and private nonprofit 4-year colleges
- Ranked by payback, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Kansas
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- Graduation rate of 40% or higher
- A reported payback value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Kansas has 16
- Data period
- Payback: years for the earnings premium over a high school graduate in the same state to repay four years of net price (shown only when the premium is at least $2,000).
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Graduate debt: median federal loan debt of completers, pooled 2020 and 2021 cohorts.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 16 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public · 4-year | 2.1 years | $18,059 | $69,680 | $21,000 | 69% |
| 2 | Wichita State University Wichita, KS Public · 4-year | 2.1 years | $13,194 | $59,707 | $20,500 | 51% |
| 3 | Fort Hays State University Hays, KS Public · 4-year | 2.3 years | $12,569 | $56,419 | $21,000 | 48% |
| 4 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Public · 4-year | 2.6 years | $19,406 | $64,711 | $21,250 | 71% |
| 5 | Washburn University Topeka, KS Public · 4-year | 2.8 years | $15,280 | $56,774 | $18,127 | 53% |
| 6 | Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS Public · 4-year | 2.8 years | $15,784 | $57,275 | $18,969 | 57% |
| 7 | University of Saint Mary Leavenworth, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.8 years | $22,519 | $67,112 | $22,018 | 46% |
| 8 | Baker University Baldwin City, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.9 years | $25,301 | $69,904 | $25,000 | 59% |
| 9 | Emporia State University Emporia, KS Public · 4-year | 3.4 years | $16,261 | $53,751 | $19,500 | 55% |
| 10 | Newman University Wichita, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.6 years | $19,971 | $56,857 | $20,801 | 53% |
| 11 | MidAmerica Nazarene University Olathe, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.9 years | $32,165 | $67,555 | $15,000 | 49% |
| 12 | Friends University Wichita, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.9 years | $27,715 | $57,698 | $25,000 | 52% |
| 13 | Kansas Wesleyan University Salina, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.9 years | $22,671 | $53,289 | $23,250 | 43% |
| 14 | Benedictine College Atchison, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.4 years | $27,891 | $55,405 | $24,599 | 63% |
| 15 | Bethel College-North Newton North Newton, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 6.5 years | $32,917 | $55,094 | $24,000 | 42% |
| 16 | McPherson College McPherson, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | 6.6 years | $26,441 | $50,934 | $25,242 | 44% |
How to compare these colleges
Treat the payback column as a way to compare schools, not as a promise about your own future. It uses the average net price, so your own cost may be higher or lower, and it uses median earnings of former students, which depend heavily on major. Check earnings for your intended program on each college profile, and favor schools where the graduation rate is high.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Kansas
Same list in nearby states
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Best value colleges in New York
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Best value colleges in California
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All 38 colleges in Kansas See the national version of this ranking