10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$199,610at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Kirkwood Community College
⌖ Cedar Rapids, IA · 28 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$199,610 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.
113.9 yrsModeled economic break-even
−91%Modeled 10-year ROI
$46,921Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
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.
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
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$9,705Average net price / year
$15,579Cost of attendance
$12,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$127/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$46,921Median earnings · year 5 after completion
43.0%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
7,591Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
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.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$39,018Year 1
$48,663Year 4
$46,921Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$72,9322Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$71,4973Computer Programming · Associate's Degree$70,1394Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$67,6045Construction Management · Associate's Degree$64,9176Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$64,0687Agricultural Mechanization · Associate's Degree$63,4678Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$61,572Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
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.
Waterloo, IA
Hawkeye Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,649
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,065
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -91%
Iowa Central Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,328
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,939
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -96%
Southwestern Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,871
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,649
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -97%
Northeast Iowa Community College
- Annual net price
- $11,272
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,208
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $72,932 | Not available | 147 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $71,497 | $15,983 | Not reported |
| Computer Programming | Associate's Degree | $70,139 | $15,737 | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $67,604 | $22,957 | Not reported |
| Construction Management | Associate's Degree | $64,917 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $64,068 | $21,945 | Not reported |
| Agricultural Mechanization | Associate's Degree | $63,467 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $61,572 | Not available | 23 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Associate's Degree | $61,544 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $61,486 | $10,000 | Not reported |
| Agricultural Production Operations | Associate's Degree | $61,118 | $10,000 | Not reported |
| Precision Metal Working | Associate's Degree | $55,888 | $13,500 | Not reported |
| Agricultural Business and Management | Associate's Degree | $50,182 | $11,000 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $49,372 | $16,190 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $46,104 | $11,938 | Not reported |
| Legal Support Services | Associate's Degree | $45,129 | $25,083 | Not reported |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Associate's Degree | $44,354 | $11,000 | Not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Associate's Degree | $43,732 | $26,818 | Not reported |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate's Degree | $43,731 | $14,978 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Associate's Degree | $42,337 | $12,000 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $42,336 | Not available | Not reported |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $42,218 | $15,375 | Not reported |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Associate's Degree | $41,202 | $18,616 | Not reported |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $40,964 | Not available | Not reported |
| Marketing | Associate's Degree | $39,638 | $14,437 | Not reported |
| Animal Sciences | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $37,277 | Not available | 0 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $36,813 | Not available | 104 |
| Design and Applied Arts | Associate's Degree | Not available | $10,519 | Not 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.