Northeastern Junior College Photo #6 - Besides hosting the nationally ranked athletic teams the Bank of Colorado Events Center also features a wide range of weights and aerobic machines to keep students in shape.

Northeastern Junior College

100 College Avenue
Sterling, CO 80751
Top Ranked (2025): View Rankings
  • Northeastern Junior College is the largest residential two-year college campus in the state. It is located on the high plains of Northeastern Colorado. Approximately 65% of full time traditional age students enrolled are in transfer programs and 35% are pursuing career/technical cetificates/degrees.

School Highlights

Northeastern Junior College serves 1,826 students (39% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 11:1 is lower than the state community college average of 23:1.
Minority enrollment is 28% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the state average of 51%.

Quick Stats (2025)

  • Enrollment: 1,826 students
  • In-state tuition: $3,394
  • Out-state tuition: $4,892
  • Student:teacher ratio: 11:1
  • Minority enrollment: 28%
  • Source: Verified school update

Top Rankings

Northeastern Junior College ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Colorado for:

Category
Attribute

School Overview

The teacher population of 167 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Northeastern Junior College
(CO) Community College Avg.
Carnegie Classification
Associate's Colleges: Mixed Transfer/Career & Technical-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional
Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges: Mixed Baccalaureate/Associate's
Institution Level
At least 2 but less than 4 years
At least 2 but less than 4 years
Institution Control
Public
Private, non-profit
Total Faculty
167 staff
92 staff
This chart displays total faculty of Northeastern Junior College and community college average number of faculty in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
School Calendar

Student Body

The student population of Northeastern Junior College has grown by 31% over five years.
The student:teacher ratio of 11:1 has increased from 8:1 over five years.
The Northeastern Junior College diversity score of 0.45 is less than the state average of 0.69. The school's diversity has declined by 7% over five years.
Total Enrollment
1,826 students
2,252 students
This chart displays the total enrollment of Northeastern Junior College and community college average number of enrollment of Colorado by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio
11:1
23:1
This chart displays the student staff ratio of Northeastern Junior College and community college average student staff ratio of Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
# Full-Time Students
712 students
743 students
This chart displays the total number of Full-time students enrollment of Northeastern Junior College and average number of community college Full-time students enrollment of Colorado by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
# Part-Time Students
1,114 students
1,509 students
This chart displays the total number of Part-time students enrollment of Northeastern Junior College and average number of community college Part-time students enrollment of Colorado by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
This chart displays the Full-time students and Part-time students enrollment breakdown of Northeastern Junior College.
This chart displays community college average Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of Colorado.
# Enrollment Undergraduate
182 students
185 students
# Full-Time Undergraduate Students
712 students
536 students
This chart displays the total number of Full-time undergraduate students enrollment of Northeastern Junior College and average number of community college Full-time undergraduate  students enrollment of Colorado by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
# Full-Time Graduate Students
n/a
95 students
# Part-Time Undergraduate Students
1,114 students
1,509 students
Total Dormitory Capacity
578 students
307 students
This chart displays the dormitory capacity of Northeastern Junior College and the community college average dormitory capacity of Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% American Indian/Alaskan
n/a
1%
This chart displays the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan students in Northeastern Junior College and the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan community college students in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Asian
n/a
6%
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in Northeastern Junior College and the percentage of Asian community college students in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hispanic
16%
25%
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in Northeastern Junior College and the percentage of Hispanic community college students in Colorado by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
% Black
2%
6%
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in Northeastern Junior College and the percentage of Black community college students in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% White
72%
49%
This chart displays the percentage of White students in Northeastern Junior College and the percentage of White community college students in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hawaiian
n/a
3%
This chart displays the percentage of Hawaiian students in Northeastern Junior College and the percentage of Hawaiian community college students in Colorado by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
% Two or more races
2%
4%
This chart displays the percentage of Two or more races students in Northeastern Junior College and the percentage of Two or more races community college students in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Non Resident races
4%
2%
This chart displays the percentage of Non Resident students in Northeastern Junior College and the percentage of Non Resident community college students in Colorado by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Unknown races
3%
4%
This chart displays the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Northeastern Junior College.
This chart displays the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Colorado.
Diversity Score
0.45
0.69
This chart displays the diversity score of Northeastern Junior College and the community college average diversity score of Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in less than 4 years)
0.5123%
0.636%
This chart displays completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of Northeastern Junior College and community college average completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of Colorado by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in 4 years or more than 4 years)
n/a
0.2693%
Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)
$35,300
$33,300
This chart displays average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Northeastern Junior College and community college average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Colorado by year, disaggregated by student subgroups with the latest 2012-13 school year data.

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

The public in-state tuition of $3,394 is less than the state average of $3,735. The in-state tuition has declined by 35% over four years.
The public out-state tuition of $4,892 is less than the state average of $10,403. The out-state tuition has declined by 35% over four years.
In-State Tuition Fees
$3,394
$3,735
This chart displays tuition fees for an in-state student of Northeastern Junior College and the public community college average tuition fees for an in-state student of Colorado by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
Out-State Tuition Fees
$4,892
$10,403
This chart displays tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Northeastern Junior College and the public community college average tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Colorado by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid
91%
83%
This chart displays the percent of students who is receiving some financial aid in Northeastern Junior College and the percent of community college students who is receiving some financial aid in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Median Debt for Graduates
$10,565
$10,981
This chart displays median debt for students who have completed a certificate or degree in Northeastern Junior College and average median debt for community college students who have completed a certificate or degree in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Median Debt for Dropouts
$5,500
$5,000
This chart displays median debt for students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Northeastern Junior College and average median debt for community college students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Colorado by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Acceptance Rate
n/a
98%
Source: 2024 (or latest year available) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) , School Administrators

School Notes

  • Northeastern Junior College, located in Sterling, Colorado, was established in 1941 and is Colorado's largest 2-year residential college. We are located in northeastern Colorado about 125 miles from Denver. At NJC, our students have the best of both worlds. They can take advantage of over 80 programs of study while enjoying small classes, individual instructor attention and the complete college experience. Each year, Northeastern's enrollment is approximately 4,000 learners. NJC has between a 1,000 and 1,100 full-time traditional age students (ages 17-22) who are enrolled full-time on our campus with 12 or more credit hours. NJC also serves approximately 3,000 part-time learners each year. Students attend Northeastern from many areas! On average we have traditional age students on campus from over 90% of the 63 counties in Colorado; from approximately 20 different states and several foreign countries. Northeastern Junior College is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Northeastern Junior College cost?
Northeastern Junior College's tuition is approximately $3,394 for In-State students and $4,892 for Out-State students.
What is Northeastern Junior College's ranking?
Northeastern Junior College ranks among the top 20% of community college in Colorado for: Least expensive tuition.

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • Enrollment: 1,826 students
  • In-state tuition: $3,394
  • Out-state tuition: $4,892
  • Student:teacher ratio: 11:1
  • Minority enrollment: 28%
  • Source: Verified school update

Related School Videos

Did You Know?

For Colorado public community colleges, the average tuition is approximately $3,735 per year for in-state students and $10,403 for out-of-state students. For private community colleges, the average yearly tuition is approximately $16,076 per year. Read more about average community college tuition costs across the country.

The average community college acceptance rate in Colorado is 90%. Read more about national community college acceptance rates.

Colorado community colleges have a diversity score of 0.69, which is lower than the national average of 0.74. The most diverse community college in Colorado is Colorado Heights University. Read more about community college diversity statistics in the USA.

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