Neosho County Community College: An Overview

Neosho County Community College (NCCC) is a public community college with a rich history and a commitment to providing accessible education to students in Kansas and beyond. With campuses in Chanute and Ottawa, as well as online programs and outreach sites, NCCC serves a diverse student population with a wide range of academic and career goals.

General Information

Neosho County Community College is located in a town and has a total enrollment of 1,727 students. NCCC operates on a semester-based academic year, with fall and spring semesters, as well as summer terms offering short-term, online, and weekend classes. The student-faculty ratio is 11-to-1, allowing for personalized attention and support for students. The highest degree offered at NCCC is an associate degree.

Open Admissions and Credit for Life Experiences

NCCC has an open admissions policy, making higher education accessible to a wide range of students. The college also offers credit for life experiences, recognizing the value of prior learning and work experience. There is no application fee.

History

Neosho County Community College traces its roots back to 1936 when it was established as Chanute Junior College. The college was founded so that graduates of Chanute High School as well as other area high schools could attend college close to home. In 1961, State legislation provided the means for the College to become a countywide community junior college, and on July 1, 1965, Chanute Junior College became Neosho County Community Junior College, an institution with its own governing Board of Trustees. Voters in Neosho County passed a bond issue in October 1965, providing for a four-building campus, separate from the high school, to be constructed in the southwestern part of Chanute. The new facilities-two instructional buildings, with one containing an administrative center; a library; and a student center-were ready for use at the start of the 1968 fall semester. Added to the campus was an interdenominational chapel, a gift from the estate of the late Jewel and K.C.

In 1979, the Kansas State Board of Education assigned service areas to the various colleges. In addition to Neosho County, the College was assigned Franklin County and most of Anderson County. In 1980, the word "junior" was removed from the name of the College. In 1991, the College opened a branch campus in Ottawa, the county seat of Franklin County, using a new building through a lease agreement with the City of Ottawa. An expansion of that building occurred in 1995. In 2003, the NCCC Foundation purchased the Ottawa campus. In 2018 NCCC purchased the Ross Lane facility in Chanute and in August of 2021 the Technical Center was named the Mitchell Career and Technology Center due to a generous donation of $1.4 million by Mike and CeCe Mitchell. Phase I of the building opened in August of 2021.

Read also: About Grossmont Community College

Campus Locations

NCCC has two main locations: a residential campus in Chanute, Kansas, and a campus serving Ottawa, Kansas. Chanute is a city of 10,000 located in the rural southeast corner of Kansas. Chanute is less than two hours from Wichita, Kansas City, Topeka, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Chanute Campus of NCCC allows students to live on campus and have a dinner plan and is designed for full-time traditional students. Ottawa is a city of 12,000 located in north central Kansas and is just one-half hour from Lawrence and Kansas City. The Ottawa campus has no housing available and is designed for part-time nontraditional students, though significant numbers of traditional students also attend this campus. Today, the College offers classes and other services on the Chanute campus, the Ottawa campus, and outreach sites in all three counties and beyond.

Academics

Students can earn degrees and certificates in 22 different fields at Neosho County Community College. The university parallel transfer program remains an important one. NCCC offers associate degrees, as well as many certificate programs. The majority of students attend NCCC with the intention of transferring to a four-year college or university upon completion of their associate's degree. Popular programs include: Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies, Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, and Occupational Therapist Assistant.

Student Life

NCCC serves a diverse student body. Approximately 750 students attend the Chanute campus, 750 attend the Ottawa campus, and over 400 students take classes online. Over 2000 students attend NCCC each semester. About 1000 of these students attend full-time. 93% of students are Kansas residents. The other 7% come from all across the United States and the world.

Campus Services

NCCC provides a range of services to support students' academic and personal success. These services include:

Academic/career counseling services
Employment services for students
Credit for life experiences

Paying for School

The tuition and fees for 2020-2021 were $5,032. For the 2022-2023 academic year, in-state tuition and fees were $5,032, while out-of-state tuition and fees were also $5,032. Books and supplies were estimated to cost $1,106. At Neosho County Community College, 61 percent of undergraduates receive grant or scholarship aid, and the average scholarship or grant award is $3,319.

Niche Rankings

Niche, the country’s leading online platform connecting students with colleges, named Neosho County Community College (NCCC) the No. 3 Best Community College in Kansas as part of its 2025 Best Colleges in America rankings. NCCC received an overall grade of B+, the highest grade awarded to a community college in Kansas. NCCC was also named the No. 2 Best Online College in Kansas, and the No. 20 Best Online College in America.

Economic Impact

According to an economic impact study of NCCC, for every dollar state and local taxpayers give to NCCC, the college returns $2.80. Investing in Neosho County Community College, whether as a taxpayer or a student gaining a degree, is a good investment.

Accreditation

Neosho County Community College (NCCC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

Additional Information

In accordance with federal regulations, you have the right to know certain information about Neosho County Community College including a variety of academic information, financial assistance information, institutional information, information on graduation rates, security and crime statistics, athletic program participation rates and financial support data.

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