For students in Independence and across Southeast Kansas, beginning college close to home doesn’t mean sacrificing academic opportunity.
New data from Emporia State University shows that students who transferred from Independence Community College are not only succeeding after making the move to a four-year university — they are outperforming university averages.
According to ESU’s Spring 2026 feedback report, former ICC students enrolled at Emporia State earned an average term GPA 0.20 points higher than the overall ESU undergraduate average and 0.06 points higher than the average among students who transferred from other community colleges.
ICC transfer students also performed above overall ESU undergraduate averages across a wide range of academic disciplines, including accounting, art, business, ecology and biodiversity, English, elementary education, general biology, health, information systems, management, physical education, philosophy, special education, sociology, communication and social science.
“For students and families in our region, these results are an important reminder that a high-quality education is available close to home,” Crawshaw said. “Students can start at Independence Community College, learn from outstanding faculty, build a strong academic foundation and then transfer to a university prepared to succeed. Seeing our former students performing above university averages in so many academic areas is something our entire college and community can be proud of.”
The results offer a snapshot of how ICC students continue to perform after leaving
Independence, reinforcing the College’s role as a strong starting point for students
who plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution.