10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$207,790at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Western Iowa Tech Community College
⌖ Sioux City, IA · 29 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$207,790 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.
295.0 yrsModeled economic break-even
−97%Modeled 10-year ROI
$45,729Observed 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
- Certificates
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$8,770Average net price / year
$14,894Cost of attendance
$11,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$117/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$45,729Median earnings · year 5 after completion
49.5%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
2,647Student 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
$36,272Year 1
$47,713Year 4
$45,729Year 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.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$74,0472Carpenters · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$62,4973Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$54,2394Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$53,6535Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$52,6596Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$51,4467Precision Metal Working · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$51,3728Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$51,294Observed 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.
Fort Dodge, IA
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%
North Iowa Area Community College
- Annual net price
- $10,010
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,087
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -100%
Kirkwood Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,705
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,921
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -91%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $74,047 | $22,597 | Not reported |
| Carpenters | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $62,497 | Not available | 5 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $54,239 | $14,499 | 118 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $53,653 | $7,935 | 22 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $52,659 | $11,000 | Not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $51,446 | $5,500 | 45 |
| Precision Metal Working | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $51,372 | $7,910 | 13 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $51,294 | Not available | 13 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $49,753 | $16,642 | 2 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $49,520 | Not available | 9 |
| Fire Protection | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $49,177 | Not available | 4 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $48,851 | $11,500 | Not reported |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $48,073 | Not available | 40 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Associate's Degree | $45,442 | $13,750 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $42,374 | $14,237 | Not reported |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $41,418 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $39,900 | $8,875 | 29 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $39,777 | $16,343 | 40 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $39,061 | $6,165 | 26 |
| Design and Applied Arts | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $38,351 | Not available | 15 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $38,319 | $12,742 | 11 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $37,065 | Not available | 21 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $36,676 | Not available | 20 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $34,958 | Not available | Not reported |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $33,272 | $12,530 | Not reported |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $32,665 | Not available | 14 |
| Graphic Communications | Associate's Degree | $32,620 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | Not available | $11,000 | Not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | Not available | $8,837 | 8 |
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.