Community CollegePublic

Iowa Lakes Community College

Estherville, Iowa·Public, 2-year·Plains·iowalakes.edu
6-yr Graduation
50%
Total enrollment
1,945
peer median 2,638
Avg net price
$13,933
+$3.9k vs Community College
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Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
50%
Full-time retention
61%

Pell equity

3.8pp gap
Pell recipients
52%64 of 123
Non-Pell (all)
48%67 of 139
Subsidized loan, no Pell
58%11 of 19
No Federal Aid
47%56 of 120

Pell recipients here graduate at a 3.8-point higher rate than non-Pell students, unusual and worth a closer look.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 62 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 57 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
62
Passing
5
8.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

62programs
  • Passing5 · 8.1%
  • No Data57 · 91.9%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
3
No data
57

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

5
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+1.7%
$36,699 vs $36,082
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+13.5%
$40,957 vs $36,082
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
+43.0%
$51,598 vs $36,082
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+71.2%
$61,784 vs $36,082
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+77.8%
$64,140 vs $36,082

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+1.7%
+$617

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

3
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
31%
$19,817 debt · $64,140 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
26%
$10,542 debt · $40,957 earn
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
23%
$11,931 debt · $51,598 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1976Next review Aug 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 3

  1. Apr 2024Initial Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  2. Apr 2024Initial Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (PNUR) - Practical nursing programs
  3. Nov 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$11,420
$30–48k$11,764
$48–75k$13,097
$75–110k$16,461
$110k+$17,325

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$13,933
+$3,945vs Community College median $9,988
Federal loans
18.3%
In-state tuition
$7,392
Out-of-state
$7,872

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 478 students received $2.6M in Pell grants, alongside $2.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
478
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.6M
$2,618,730 total
Direct Loans
$2.4M
634 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$954K
301 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.1M
315 loan awards
Parent PLUS$333K
18 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 480 borrowers who entered repayment, 24 (5.0%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
5.0%
+2.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
480
Defaulted
24
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
15.2%
2017
16.9%
2018
12.6%
2019
5.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Iowa Lakes Community College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs52
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

321 total completions
01Liberal Arts
13542.1%
02Agriculture
4815.0%
03Mechanic
3210.0%
04Health Professions
3210.0%
05Business
288.7%
06Construction Trades
134.0%
07Parks/Recreation
103.1%
08Natural Resources
82.5%
09Personal/Culinary
82.5%
10Visual/Performing Arts
72.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,945
12-mo unduplicated
2,194
Undergraduate
2,194
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
47%1,036
Women
53%1,158

Race / ethnicity composition

White
73.8%
Non-resident
8.1%
Hispanic
7.8%
Black
4.4%
Unknown
1.9%
Asian
1.6%
Two or more
1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
225
142 M · 83 W
Women athletes
36.9%
Athletic aid
$564K
Total student aid
Budget
$2.1M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$310K
$254K
Recruiting expense
$10K
$18K
Head-coach salaries
$23K
$22K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Soccer
45 M · 19 W
$519K
Baseball
40 M ·
$196K
Wrestling
17 M · 16 W
$220K
Basketball
13 M · 11 W
$363K
Golf
12 M · 8 W
$137K
Softball
· 15 W
$173K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 2,024 students

3-year trend

0.552 yrs ago0.511 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
2
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs15
    Liquor132

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    13.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    64

    Iowa Lakes Community College vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Iowa Lakes Community College selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectIowa Lakes Community College
    50%1,945$13,933Community College
    3,184$10,693Community College
    69.5%5,120$9,649Community College
    2,092$6,717Community College
    1,813$10,271Community College
    12,763$9,705Community College
    Peer group median50%69.5%2,638$9,988

    Institutions like Iowa Lakes Community College

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Iowa Lakes Community College's comparison group.

    Iowa Lakes Community College Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Office
    Planning & Development Office
    Email
    info [at] iowalakes.edu
    Phone
    712-362-0439
    Address
    19 South 7th Street, Estherville, Iowa 51334

    The Planning and Development Office provides college-wide leadership and technical support for accreditation, grants development and administrative oversight, institutional effectiveness, institutional research, and strategic planning to enhance and expand activities that advance the vision, core values, mission, and goals of Iowa Lakes Community College.

    Visit IR office page

    Frequently asked questions about Iowa Lakes Community College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Iowa Lakes Community College.

    What is the graduation rate at Iowa Lakes Community College?

    Iowa Lakes Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 50% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Iowa Lakes Community College?

    Iowa Lakes Community College reports a total enrollment of 1,945 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Iowa Lakes Community College?

    The average net price at Iowa Lakes Community College is $13,933 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Iowa Lakes Community College located?

    Iowa Lakes Community College is located in Estherville, Iowa 51334-2295.

    Who runs Institutional Research at Iowa Lakes Community College?

    Iowa Lakes Community College's IR work is done by the Planning & Development Office.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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