| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year technical college coordinated by the Kansas Board of Regents; campus-based, affiliated with Fort Hays State University since 2024 |
| Campus | 1, in Goodland, Kansas |
| Credentials | Associate of Applied Science (AAS) and Technical Certificates A, B and C; short-term CNA, medication aide, CDL and EMT certificates |
| Typical length | About 10 months (Cosmetology) to 2 years (AAS) |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission since 2007; continued in March 2026; next reaffirmation 2031-32 |
| Federal aid | Yes; 43% of degree- and certificate-seeking students received Pell Grants in 2021-22 |
| 2026-27 cost | $9,360 a year full-time tuition and fees; $160 per credit hour part-time |
| Students | 752 in fall 2024 |
| Founded | 1964, as Northwest Kansas Area Vocational Technical School |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Fort Hays Tech Northwest: a public technical college in Goodland, Kansas
Fort Hays Tech Northwest is a public two-year technical college in Goodland, in far northwest Kansas, coordinated by the Kansas Board of Regents. Until 2024 it was Northwest Kansas Technical College: a 2023 state law allowed it to affiliate with Fort Hays State University, and it took the Fort Hays Tech name after the Higher Learning Commission approved the change on 27 June 2024. The college is affiliated, not merged, and keeps its own HLC accreditation. It opened in 1964 as Northwest Kansas Area Vocational Technical School.
It had 752 students in fall 2024, 55% of them full-time, and the college says Goodland enrollment rose 3.5% in fall 2025. Most programs are taught in person in full-time daytime cohorts.
17 programs, all taught in Goodland
The college lists 17 current programs, plus Powersports Technology, which it lists as coming soon. Most lead to an Associate of Applied Science, with stackable Technical Certificates A, B and C along the way, so students can leave with a certificate before finishing the AAS. The table covers the programs described on this page. Credit hours come from the college’s 2024-25 degree maps and first-year costs from its 2026-27 cost sheet, which leave out housing.
| Program | Credentials and credits | Length | Prepares for | Estimated first year, 2026-27 (before housing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory Care | AAS, 68 credits | 4 semesters; 15 seats a year | NBRC CRT and RRT | $11,335 |
| Medical Assistant | Technical Certificate A 29 / B 40 / C 52 credits; AAS 61 | One year for the certificate | CMA and RMA | $11,235 |
| Welding Technology | Technical Certificate A 22 / B 44 / C 53 credits; AAS 62 | Certificate A in 18 weeks; longer tracks to Certificate C or AAS | NC3 and industry welding certifications; OSHA 30 | $12,135 |
| Plumbing | Technical Certificate A 18 / B 34 / C 59 credits; AAS 68 | 2 years for Certificate C or AAS | NC3/RIDGID certifications; OSHA 10 | $11,100 |
| Automotive Technology | Technical Certificate A 22 / B 33 / C 59 credits; AAS 68 | 2 years for Certificate C or AAS | Built to ASE education standards; optional ASE G1 | $13,840, including $3,000 of tools |
| Kansas Institute of Diesel Technology | Technical certificates and AAS | – | – | $16,260, including $5,000 of tools |
| Construction Technology | Technical Certificate B 39 / C 52 credits; AAS 66 | 2 years | OSHA 10 | $13,710 |
| Cosmetology | Technical Certificate C, 51 credits; optional AAS 60 | About 10 months | Kansas State Board of Cosmetology licence exam | $11,835 |
| Computer Graphics Technology | Technical Certificate B 37 credits; AAS 68 | 2 years for the AAS | – | $10,910 |
| Business Technology | Technical Certificate B 33 credits; AAS 65 | 2 years for the AAS | – | $10,335 |
The college also teaches Electrical Technology, which added an instructor for fall 2025 and had a waitlist, Application Development & Emerging Technologies, Civil and Mechanical Engineering Technology, Precision Agriculture Technology, Child Care Specialist and Crime Scene Investigation. Short-term courses cover CNA, Certified Medication Aide, CDL, EMT and Advanced EMT.
What the main programs cover
Respiratory Care
The Respiratory Care AAS runs four semesters, and includes three 6-credit clinical courses, Clinical Practice I to III, for which students provide their own transport. Only 15 students are admitted each year. Before applying, students complete Medical Terminology and Anatomy and Physiology, and they send two references, a personal statement and a background check; every admission item is due by 1 August. Graduates are prepared for the National Board for Respiratory Care’s CRT and RRT credentials.
Medical Assistant
Medical Assistant is built from stackable certificates, so students can stop at Technical Certificate A or B or continue to Certificate C, the level that includes MED 190, a 6-credit medical assisting practicum; an AAS is optional. Students must be 18 to start clinical rotations and need a background check, immunizations and a TB test taken between 15 May and 15 July. The program prepares students for the RMA and CMA certification exams and includes CPR/AED training.
Welding Technology
Welding students train in GMAW, SMAW, FCAW and GTAW processes, thermal cutting, and Fabrication 1 and 2, and earn NC3 and industry certifications plus OSHA 30. Technical Certificate A is an 18-week pipe and plate track. A two-semester, work-based track leads on to Certificate C or the AAS. The program pages do not mention American Welding Society certification, so ask about it if an employer requires it.
Plumbing
Plumbing has run since 2022. Its courses follow a building’s systems: Pipes and Fittings, DWV and Water Distribution, Building Supply Systems, Fixtures and Valves, Electricity and Fuel Gas, Codes and Special Systems, Private Systems, and Medical Gas and Vacuum Systems. Backflow prevention and OSHA 10 are included, and students can earn NC3/RIDGID certifications. The program has no heating or air-conditioning courses, so it does not prepare students for HVAC work.
Automotive Technology
Each automotive certificate follows one ASE education standard: Certificate A covers Maintenance and Light Repair, Certificate B Automobile Service Technology, and Certificate C and the AAS Master Automobile Service Technology. Students can also take the ASE G1 exam. The program is light-vehicle service and repair only, with no collision or body courses. The cost sheet’s first-year estimate includes tools, and the college says a tool rent or loan program may be available.
Cosmetology
Cosmetology takes about 10 months: two months of theory, then 1,180 practical hours; the program’s student salon takes bookings from the public through Vagaro. The college does not state the total clock hours. Within 15 days of starting, students must get a Kansas apprentice licence from the state board. The program prepares students for the Kansas State Board of Cosmetology licence exam, and students can continue to an optional AAS.
Tuition and how students pay
Fort Hays Tech Northwest publishes one tuition rate. Its 2026-27 cost sheet and catalog list no in-district, in-state or out-of-state tiers. Full-time students pay $9,360 a year in tuition and fees, and part-time students pay $160 per credit hour, according to the 2026-27 estimated cost sheet. Out-of-state students should confirm with the college that the same rate applies to them.
| 2026-27 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Full-time tuition and fees (12 or more credit hours a semester) | $9,360 a year ($4,680 a semester) |
| Part-time, and each credit above the full-time block | $160 per credit hour |
| High-school dual credit in career and technical courses | $50 per credit hour |
| Optional campus housing with meals | $5,630 a year |
| Laptop or device, first year | $650 |
Program costs vary: the first-year totals in the programs table run from $10,335 for Business Technology to $16,260 for diesel, which includes $5,000 of tools.
The college takes federal student aid, and 43% of degree- and certificate-seeking students received Pell Grants in 2021-22. Most program pages, including Respiratory Care, Medical Assistant, Welding, Plumbing, Automotive, Construction and Computer Graphics, name the Kansas Promise Act Scholarship. Niche puts the average net price at $12,872 a year.
Open admission, with selective health programs
Admission is open. Every program asks for an application, a high-school or GED transcript, any college transcripts, and ACT or AccuPlacer scores; AccuPlacer can be taken on campus. Respiratory Care (15 seats, 1 August deadline), Medical Assistant (background check, immunizations, TB test, age 18 for clinicals) and Cosmetology (Kansas apprentice licence) add their own requirements. The cost sheet notes that a felony conviction bars entry to programs that require a background check.
Most programs run as full-time daytime cohorts over two semesters a year. No program page describes online delivery.
Accreditation and results
The college has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 2007. In May 2022 HLC continued its accreditation with interim monitoring, asking for reports on general-education assessment and credit-hour policy; the next reaffirmation is due in 2031-32.
After the affiliation, HLC made a focused visit in spring 2025 and said the college “is addressing the concerns”; Fort Hays State University and Fort Hays Tech North Central were each recorded as having addressed them. After an assurance review in March 2026, HLC continued the college’s accreditation.
Respiratory Care is accredited by CoARC as program 200530, and CoARC’s 2023 report lists its next re-evaluation in 2030. The college says its Medical Assistant technical certificate is accredited by CAAHEP on MAERB’s recommendation. The Automotive Technology courses follow ASE education standards, but we could not confirm that the program itself is ASE-accredited. Cosmetology is approved by the Kansas Board of Cosmetology.
| Measure | Result | Cohort and source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 73%; another 12% transferred out | First-time, full-time students who entered in 2021, federal rate in the college’s outcome disclosures |
| Retention | 84% | Fall 2023 first-time, full-time students who completed or returned by fall 2024; same source |
| Medical Assistant placement | 89.13% | Five-year average, 2020 to 2024, as reported to MAERB and CAAHEP, per the program page |
We found no published licensing or certification pass rates for Respiratory Care, Medical Assistant or Cosmetology. Most other program pages show placement figures for 2020 graduates only.
Before you enroll
- Respiratory Care admits 15 students a year, with prerequisites and a 1 August deadline, and students arrange their own transport to clinical sites.
- At its 2025 focused visit after the affiliation, HLC said the college “is addressing the concerns”, while the two other Fort Hays institutions had addressed theirs. HLC continued accreditation in March 2026.
- Business Technology is mostly general-education and business courses (composition, college algebra, economics, accounting, business law) rather than training for a particular trade. Ask what jobs recent graduates have taken.
- The placement rates on most program pages are for 2020 graduates. Medical Assistant is the only program with a recent, defined figure.
- No program page describes online delivery, and no residency tiers are published. Out-of-state students should confirm their rate before budgeting.
One campus in Goodland
Every program and short-term course is taught at the campus at 1209 Harrison Avenue, Goodland, KS 67735. The college also runs a welding site in Quinter, in Gove County, that serves high-school juniors and seniors only.
Housing, daycare and tools
Students can live on campus in Village I, II and III or off campus in the Tiger Suites, which have double rooms and private bathrooms but no kitchen, so a meal plan is required. The campus has an on-site daycare, Tiny Tigers. Automotive and diesel students may be able to rent or borrow tools.
What students say
On Niche, Fort Hays Tech Northwest is rated 4.09 out of 5 from 53 reviews, with an overall grade of A- (checked October 2026). Reviewers most often praise small classes, hands-on trade programs, and friendly, approachable instructors who get to know students. The most common complaints are the windy, cold weather, outdated dorms and few social activities. Some of Niche’s theme summaries are machine-written, at least one shown review is from an employee, and we saw no sign of reviews posted in a burst.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Health
- Respiratory Care (AAS)
- Medical Assistant (Technical Certificates A, B, C; AAS)
- Certified Nurse Aide (short-term certificate)
- Certified Medication Aide (short-term certificate)
- Emergency Medical Technician and Advanced EMT (short-term certificates)
Transportation and Mechanics
- Automotive Technology (Technical Certificates A, B, C; AAS)
- Kansas Institute of Diesel Technology (Technical Certificates; AAS)
- Commercial Driver's License (CDL, short-term certificate)
Building and Industrial Trades
- Construction Technology (Technical Certificates B, C; AAS)
- Plumbing (Technical Certificates A, B, C; AAS)
- Electrical Technology (Technical Certificates; AAS)
- Welding Technology (Technical Certificates A, B, C; AAS)
Technology, Engineering and Agriculture
- Computer Graphics Technology (Technical Certificate B; AAS)
- Application Development & Emerging Technologies
- Civil Engineering Technology
- Mechanical Engineering Technology
- Precision Agriculture Technology
Business and Services
- Business Technology (Technical Certificate B; AAS, Traditional Business or Sports Management)
- Cosmetology (Technical Certificate C; AAS)
- Child Care Specialist
- Crime Scene Investigation
Campus Locations
Goodland 1209 Harrision Avenue Goodland, KS 67735