Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Iowa Central Community College

Fort Dodge, IA · 18 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$207,922 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.

231.4 yrsModeled economic break-even
−96%Modeled 10-year ROI
$45,939Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$207,922at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$217,3120
2
4
6
8
−$207,92210
Years after graduationBreak-even: 231.4 years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$5,496
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$7,788
Sticker price
Average net price$9,328
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$15,222
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Main award level
Associate degrees
Campus setting
Town
Admissions
Open admission
Delivery
Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation
No special designation reported
Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$9,328Average net price / year
$15,222Cost of attendance
$11,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$117/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$45,939Median earnings · year 5 after completion
41.6%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
3,103Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$7,837
$30–48k$7,865
$48–75k$8,948
$75–110k$12,252
$110k+$12,424
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$45,939
Year 6$35,830
Year 10$42,046
Full-time retention
51.7%
Part-time retention
39.5%
Completion within 200% of normal time
45.7%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

51thEarnings percentile
26thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$50,258Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$15,186Median federal debt across categories that report debt
61%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$36,243Year 1
$46,682Year 4
$45,939Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$71,4022Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$70,0483Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$65,5964Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications · Associate's Degree$60,9825Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$60,6656Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Associate's Degree$59,3657Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$58,2598Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$52,782

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in IA

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Sioux City, IA

Western Iowa Tech Community College

Annual net price
$8,770
Observed earnings · year 5
$45,729
Modeled 10-year ROI
-97%
Open college profile →
Creston, IA

Southwestern Community College

Annual net price
$9,871
Observed earnings · year 5
$45,649
Modeled 10-year ROI
-97%
Open college profile →
Cedar Rapids, IA

Kirkwood Community College

Annual net price
$9,705
Observed earnings · year 5
$46,921
Modeled 10-year ROI
-91%
Open college profile →
Waterloo, IA

Hawkeye Community College

Annual net price
$9,649
Observed earnings · year 5
$47,065
Modeled 10-year ROI
-91%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt2023–24 awards
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree$71,402$21,093Not reported
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree$70,048$12,000Not reported
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's Degree$65,596$15,186Not reported
Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsAssociate's Degree$60,982$25,375Not reported
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$60,665$18,55792
Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's Degree$59,365$18,500Not reported
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree$58,259$12,000Not reported
Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree$52,782$19,000Not reported
Agricultural Business and ManagementAssociate's Degree$50,555Not availableNot reported
Precision Metal WorkingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$50,258Not available36
Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree$48,068$14,275Not reported
Accounting and Related ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$46,910$11,00036
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's Degree$45,922$14,473Not reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree$41,319$11,330Not reported
Social WorkAssociate's Degree$39,933$29,500Not reported
Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$36,531$15,62117
Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's Degree$35,406$15,499Not reported
Ground TransportationUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$21,740$4,750Not reported

Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.