Iowa Western
Community College
Public Community College in Council Bluffs, IA. Six-year graduation rate 40%. Median 10-year earnings $42,793.
Ten years after entry, the median Iowa Western Community College student earns $42,793 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 40% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $11,033.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.26 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 0.9 — limited economic uplift documented
Academics
Six-year completion sits at 40%, meaning about three in five students who enroll leave without finishing. 57% first-year retention is low enough to be the defining risk of enrolling here. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. Transfer-out runs to 22% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 42% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,029 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $13,852 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price varies modestly by income — $13,099 at $0–30k against $18,209 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 68% get grants averaging $4,630, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 36% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 933 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $13,099 |
| $30–48k | $12,217 |
| $48–75k | $14,706 |
| $75–110k | $17,225 |
| $110k+ | $18,209 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,097 of these 3,029 students, totalling $6,114,771 — an average of $5,574 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Pottawattamie County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)