Community CollegePublic

Northwest Iowa Community College

Sheldon, Iowa·Public, 2-year·Plains·nwicc.edu
6-yr Graduation
58%
Total enrollment
1,907
peer median 2,119
Avg net price
$12,357
+$1.0k vs Community College
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Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
58%
Full-time retention
73%

Pell equity

26.0pp gap
Pell recipients
55%
Non-Pell
81%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 26.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

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

Of 33 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 28 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
33
Passing
5
15.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

33programs
  • Passing5 · 15.2%
  • No Data28 · 84.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
4
No data
28

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
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+23.8%
$44,666 vs $36,082
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
+71.6%
$61,907 vs $36,082
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+78.3%
$64,337 vs $36,082
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
+83.8%
$66,319 vs $36,082
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers
Associate Degree · Construction Trades
+127.3%
$82,018 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

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

8
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
22%
$14,000 debt · $64,337 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
21%
$9,500 debt · $44,666 earn
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
19%
$12,000 debt · $61,907 earn
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
18%
$11,990 debt · $66,319 earn
Practical Nursing Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
Undergraduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
16%
$10,250 debt · $63,862 earn
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers
Associate Degree · Construction Trades
13%
$11,015 debt · $82,018 earn
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Undergraduate Certificate · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
9%
$5,500 debt · $61,481 earn
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers
Undergraduate Certificate · Construction Trades
6%
$5,500 debt · $96,897 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1980Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 3

  1. Aug 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  2. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Sep 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers

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$9,399
$30–48k$8,168
$48–75k$11,764
$75–110k$14,932
$110k+$15,114

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

Avg net price
$12,357
+$1,038vs Community College median $11,319
Federal loans
13.4%
In-state tuition
$7,110
Out-of-state
$7,410

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 433 students received $2.0M in Pell grants, alongside $1.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
433
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.0M
$2,005,059 total
Direct Loans
$1.6M
442 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$558K
192 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$865K
238 loan awards
Parent PLUS$128K
12 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 262 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (1.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.5%
-0.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
262
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.6%
2017
8.5%
2018
2.8%
2019
1.5%
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 NWICC

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs22
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

206 total completions
01Health Professions
5828.2%
02Mechanic
3718.0%
03Liberal Arts
3215.5%
04Construction Trades
2813.6%
05Business
199.2%
06Engineering Tech
125.8%
07Agriculture
125.8%
08Computer Sciences
83.9%
09Precision Production
00.0%
10Transportation
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
1,907
12-mo unduplicated
2,655
Undergraduate
2,655
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
39%1,033
Women
61%1,622

Race / ethnicity composition

White
78.5%
Hispanic
10.3%
Black
6.1%
Two or more
2.2%
Asian
1.4%
Unknown
1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
17
16 M · 1 W
Women athletes
5.9%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$32K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
Recruiting expense
Head-coach salaries
Men Women

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 · 1,811 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.581 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

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
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    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
    16.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    31

    NWICC vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions NWICC 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
    SubjectNorthwest Iowa Community College
    58%1,907$12,357Community College
    Northeast Iowa Community College
    4,808$10,059Community College
    Western Iowa Tech Community College
    5,482$8,875Community College
    Pine Technical & Community College
    1,794$10,281Community College
    Minnesota State College Southeast
    2,331$15,548Community College
    Flint Hills Technical College
    1,794$15,533Community College
    Peer group median58%2,119$11,319

    Frequently asked questions about Northwest Iowa Community College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about NWICC.

    What is the graduation rate at Northwest Iowa Community College?

    Northwest Iowa Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 58% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Northwest Iowa Community College?

    Northwest Iowa Community College reports a total enrollment of 1,907 students per the latest IPEDS.

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

    The average net price at Northwest Iowa Community College is $12,357 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Northwest Iowa Community College located?

    Northwest Iowa Community College is located in Sheldon, Iowa 51201.

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