Northwest Iowa Community College
Sheldon, Iowa · Website
$50,776
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$50,776
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Northwest Iowa Community College is a public 2-year college in Sheldon, Iowa with 864 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $14,800 a year (tuition and fees $7,350 in-state, $7,650 out-of-state). 58% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $50,776 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $9,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,800
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$7,350
Out-of-state $7,650
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
58%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$9,500
About $101 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$50,776
Rank 1,421 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,800
- Tuition in-state
- $7,350
- Tuition out-of-state
- $7,650
- Cost of attendance
- $20,414
- Students with a need-based grant
- 16%
- Students with federal loans
- 13%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,368
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $11,253
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $13,263
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $16,573
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $19,325
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $5,550 in 2015-16 to $7,350 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 864
- Part-time students
- 30%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 16
- Completion rate
- 58%
- Retention rate
- 73%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 33
- Endowment
- $6.39M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,421 of 5,094 US colleges and 27 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,800 | $17,730 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $7,350 | $20,270 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 80% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 58% | 65% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 73% | 74% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $9,500 | $14,745 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $49,635 | $39,099 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $50,776 | $42,793 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 70% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 79% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
33 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCertificate | Certificate | 64 | $5,500 | $78,118 | $96,897 | $53,078 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 49 | $7,800 | $27,677 | $44,666 | $44,125 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 38 | $11,000 | Withheld | $63,862 | $56,073 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 35 | $12,828 | $62,453 | $64,337 | $80,813 |
| Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 26 | $11,990 | $44,875 | $66,319 | $63,241 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssociate's | Associate's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | $82,018 | $70,808 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 23 | $11,326 | $52,174 | $61,907 | $58,424 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $35,447 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | $61,481 | $51,586 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,389 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,440 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,272 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,359 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Agriculture, GeneralOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,683 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $67,792 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,589 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,073 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Ground TransportationAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | $60,943 | $72,286 | $59,881 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Sheldon and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Northwest Iowa Community College cost?
$14,800 a year is the average net price at Northwest Iowa Community College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $7,350 for in-state students and $7,650 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $20,414. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,368 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Northwest Iowa Community College?
Northwest Iowa Community College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Northwest Iowa Community College graduates earn?
$50,776 a year is the median pay of former Northwest Iowa Community College students who work, 10 years after they started ($49,635 after 6 years). That ranks 1,421 of 5,094 US colleges and 27 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Certificate) at $78,118.
How much student debt do Northwest Iowa Community College graduates have?
$9,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Northwest Iowa Community College graduates, about $101 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 13% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Northwest Iowa Community College?
58% of first-time, full-time students at Northwest Iowa Community College finish within 3 years. 73% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Northwest Iowa Community College?
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (64 certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (49 associate's graduates), Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (38 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 33 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.