Northwest Iowa
Community College
Public Community College in Sheldon, IA. Six-year graduation rate 58%. Median 10-year earnings $50,776.
Ten years after entry, the median Northwest Iowa Community College student earns $50,776 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. The six-year graduation rate is 58%, meaning about two in five students who start do not finish. 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 0.19 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Six-year completion sits at 58%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 73% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 51% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The student-faculty ratio is 16:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 843 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $14,691 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $10,368 at the $0–30k band to $19,325 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 68% of students at an average of $5,484. 28% 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 · 289 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 | $10,368 |
| $30–48k | $11,253 |
| $48–75k | $13,263 |
| $75–110k | $16,573 |
| $110k+ | $19,325 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 232 of these 843 students, totalling $1,240,518 — an average of $5,347 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Sioux 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)