North Iowa
Area Community College
Public Community College in Mason City, IA. Six-year graduation rate 61%. Median 10-year earnings $43,462.
Ten years after entry, the median North Iowa Area Community College student earns $43,462 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Six-year completion sits at 61%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates leave owing a median of $9,500 — 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 0.22 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Six-year completion sits at 61%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. Retention of 67% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. A 13% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. The part-time picture is harder: 42% return, against 67% full-time. A 23:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,271 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $9,852 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price varies modestly by income — $8,471 at $0–30k against $13,705 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 77% get grants averaging $6,716, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing reaches 34% of students.
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 · 442 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 | $8,471 |
| $30–48k | $7,723 |
| $48–75k | $9,644 |
| $75–110k | $12,376 |
| $110k+ | $13,705 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 432 of these 1,271 students, totalling $2,381,816 — an average of $5,513 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cerro Gordo 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)