Public · Paducah, Kentucky

West Kentucky Community and Technical College

West Kentucky Community and Technical College is a public institution in Paducah, Kentucky. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.

$5,353
Avg net price / yr
$34,891
10-yr median earnings
49.3%
150%-time completion

The verdict

West Kentucky Community and Technical College posts modest former-student earnings.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

32nd pct.
former-student earnings, US
49.3%
150%-time completion
+17%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Small Carnegie: Associate's
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Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this West Kentucky Community and Technical College profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Associate's Colleges: High Career & Technical-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

C
College Value Score
55/100
West Kentucky Community and Technical College

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings F
$34,891
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price A+
$5,353
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
49.3%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt B+
$8,986
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment F
50.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention N/A
N/A
First-year students returning for year two
West Kentucky Community and Technical College vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$34,891

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$5,353

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

49.3%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 49.3%

Less-than-four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - West Kentucky Community and Technical College vs peers

West Kentucky Community and Technical College positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. West Kentucky Community and Technical Colleg… Carnegie Classification: Associate's Associate's COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $25K $38K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $3K $6K Avg Net Price ($) West Kentucky Community and Technical College (you are here): $35K earn · $5K net · 49% grad You are here - West Kentucky Comm… Owensboro Community and Technical College: $36K earn · $6K net · 52% grad Owensboro Communit… Gateway Community and Technical College: $36K earn · $6K net · 53% grad Gateway Community … Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College: $34K earn · $4K net · 55% grad Southcentral Kentu… Maysville Community and Technical College: $32K earn · $5K net · 54% grad Maysville Communit… Madisonville Community College: $36K earn · $5K net · 52% grad Madisonville Commu… Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College: $29K earn · $4K net · 45% grad Shawnee Community College: $33K earn · $4K net · 51% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How West Kentucky Community and Technical College ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$34,891 32nd percentile higher than 32% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). This entry sits in this band. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). Above this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric West Kentucky Community and Technical College National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $34,891 #3473 of 5103 32nd
Average net price $5,353 #372 of 5020 93rd (lower is better)
150%-time completion 49.3% #3040 of 4858 37th
Undergraduate enrollment 2,851 #1146 of 5462 79th

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

2,851
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
49.3%
150%-time completion
$34,891
10-yr median earnings
-
First-year retention

How West Kentucky Community and Technical College ranks in Kentucky

State rank among 70 reporting Kentucky colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric West Kentucky Community and Technical College State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $34,891 #41 of 70 41st
Average net price $5,353 #10 of 79 87th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 49.3% #48 of 75 36th
Undergraduate enrollment 2,851 #16 of 81 80th

Highest former-student earnings in Kentucky

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Centre College$66,240$20,781
2Bellarmine University$62,069$21,499
3Galen College of Nursing-Louisville$61,480$18,540
4Galen College of Nursing-ARH$61,480$21,164
5Galen Health Institutes-Pikeville$61,480$28,475
6Thomas More University$59,384$21,835
7University of Kentucky$59,025$18,851
8Transylvania University$54,705$21,913
9University of Louisville$53,899$17,988
10Georgetown College$52,074$14,095
11Northern Kentucky University$50,220$8,191
12Spalding University$49,438$25,491
41West Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeThis school$34,891$5,353

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at West Kentucky Community and Technical College

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at West Kentucky Community and Technical College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $4,728
Out-of-State Tuition $6,432
Average Net Price $5,353
33.1%
Pell Grant Rate
9.4%
Federal Loan Rate
$8,986
Median Debt
$95/mo
Monthly Payment

Net price at West Kentucky Community and Technical College swings rather than trends

Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $4,330 to $6,148 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -12.3%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.

Lowest year
$4,330
Highest year
$6,148
Most recent (2023)
$5,023
Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $5,7282014: $5,3722015: $6,1482016: $5,7772017: $5,0452018: $4,3302019: $5,4672020: $5,6792021: $5,6982022: $5,5542023: $5,023
2013 · $5,7282023 · $5,023

Over the same years, enrollment went -39.5% (4,648 → 2,810 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

63.0%
Female
47.7%
First Generation

Outcomes

$29,823
Median Earnings (6yr)
42.9%
Earning Over $25K
50.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 49.3%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $29,823
Median earnings 10 years after entry $34,891
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 42.9%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 50.7%
Median federal student debt At completion $8,986
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $95/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Associate's 13 498 $48,556 $69,850 $8,985
Certificate 10 1,689 $45,493 $74,094 $8,068

Top programs at West Kentucky Community and Technical College by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers Certificate 160 $74,094 -
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Associate's 57 $69,850 $11,068
Precision Metal Working Certificate 366 $58,512 $5,625
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other Associate's 26 $57,596 $8,000
Computer and Information Sciences, General Certificate 127 $51,632 $6,529
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Associate's 22 $47,983 $9,618
Business Administration, Management and Operations Associate's 25 $47,849 $10,412
Criminal Justice and Corrections Associate's 9 $39,279 -
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Associate's 262 $38,835 $7,620
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General Associate's 19 $38,499 $7,194
Business Administration, Management and Operations Certificate 214 $36,252 $10,295
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Certificate 338 $35,321 $6,025
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services Certificate 117 $33,123 $9,999
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services Certificate 71 $29,518 $7,000
Computer and Information Sciences, General Associate's 22 - -

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the admissions statistics for West Kentucky Community and Technical College?
West Kentucky Community and Technical College is a public institution in Paducah, Kentucky. Undergraduate enrollment is 2,851 students.
How much do West Kentucky Community and Technical College former students earn?
Federally aided former students at West Kentucky Community and Technical College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $34,891 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $29,823.
How much does West Kentucky Community and Technical College cost?
The average net price at West Kentucky Community and Technical College is $5,353. In-state tuition is $4,728 and out-of-state tuition is $6,432. Median student debt at graduation is $8,986.
What is the graduation rate at West Kentucky Community and Technical College?
West Kentucky Community and Technical College has a 49.3% completion rate within 150% of normal program time at a less-than-four-year institution.
Is West Kentucky Community and Technical College worth the student debt?
The median student debt at West Kentucky Community and Technical College is $8,986, while former students earn a median of $34,891 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 26% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 50.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $95.

Sources & methodology

Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.

Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from West Kentucky Community and Technical College

Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.