Kirkwood Community College
Public Community College in Cedar Rapids, IA. Six-year graduation rate 43%. Median 10-year earnings $41,016.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $41,016, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. 43% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates leave owing a median of $12,000 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.29 — 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 43%, meaning about three in five students who enroll leave without finishing. Retention of 71% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 45% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. At 20:1, class sizes land in the normal range for an undergraduate institution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 7,438 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $8,936 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $6,967 at $0–30k against $14,091 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 65% get grants averaging $5,916, 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 · 1,588 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 | $6,967 |
| $30–48k | $7,084 |
| $48–75k | $9,514 |
| $75–110k | $12,106 |
| $110k+ | $14,091 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,653 of these 7,438 students, totalling $13,790,883 — an average of $5,198 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Linn 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)