10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$248,822at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Iowa Lakes Community College
Estherville, IA · 6 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 6 · Federal debt reported for 2
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$248,822 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−106%Estimated return after 10 years
$43,691Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
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.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $8,690 housing and food allowance plus $4,338 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$193,090
$8,000Annual price−$225,090
$14,000Current college-wide context−$249,090
$16,000Annual price−$257,090
$24,000Annual price−$289,090
$32,000Annual price−$321,090
$40,000Annual price−$353,090
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
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
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
968 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Iowa run 12% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$13,933Average net price / year
$20,120Cost of attendance
$12,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$127/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$43,691Median earnings · year 5 after completion
50.0%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
941Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Iowa Lakes Community College
What does Iowa Lakes Community College cost?
Iowa Lakes Community College reports an average annual net price of $13,933 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Iowa Lakes Community College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $43,691 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Iowa Lakes Community College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $12,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Iowa Lakes Community College worth the same?
No. The current release contains 6 field-and-degree records for Iowa Lakes Community College; 6 report year-4 earnings and 2 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
2,194Students enrolled at any point
2,194Undergraduate students
Not availableGraduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
47% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
50 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
50% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$38,074Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$47,949Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$51,637Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income41%
Middle income65%
Higher income75%
Undergraduate student composition
White74%
Black4%
Hispanic8%
Asian2%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 15
$67,570Year 1
$84,119Year 5
$97,392Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Associate degree · Broad federal field 51
$54,485Year 1
$64,126Year 5
$68,274Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 51
$43,948Year 1
$44,206Year 5
$63,066Year 10
Agricultural Business and Management.Associate degree · Broad federal field 01
$39,342Year 1
$48,631Year 5
$60,371Year 10
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 47
$36,043Year 1
$49,207Year 5
$60,013Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Associate degree · Broad federal field 43
$37,592Year 1
$47,270Year 5
$59,476Year 10
Computer Programming.Associate degree · Broad federal field 11
$43,317Year 1
Not availableYear 5
$58,858Year 10
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.Associate degree · Broad federal field 24
$28,065Year 1
$46,024Year 5
$56,538Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
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 every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$39,212Year 1
$47,158Year 4
$43,691Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$64,1402Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$61,7843Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$55,1074Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$51,5985Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$40,9576Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$36,699Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $55,107 reported+7%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · $40,957 reported-7%vs same-degree national median$11,003federal debt3Energy Systems Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree · $61,784 reported-8%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree · $36,699 reported-11%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree · $51,598 reported-12%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $64,140 reported-21%vs same-degree national median$30,750federal debt
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.
Davenport, IA
Eastern Iowa Community College District
- Annual net price
- $14,017
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $44,928
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -100%
Southeastern Community College
- Annual net price
- $12,347
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,137
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -108%
Ellsworth Community College
- Annual net price
- $11,451
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,385
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -94%
North Iowa Area Community College
- Annual net price
- $10,010
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,087
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -100%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 6 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $64,140 | $30,750 | Not reported |
| Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $61,784 | Not available | Not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $55,107 | Not available | 27 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $51,598 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $40,957 | $11,003 | Not reported |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $36,699 | Not available | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
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.