10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$245,816at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Marshalltown Community College
⌖ Marshalltown, IA · 5 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$245,816 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.
Not availableModeled economic break-even
−116%Modeled 10-year ROI
$41,642Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Marshalltown Community College
What does Marshalltown Community College cost?
Marshalltown Community College reports an average annual net price of $8,059 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Marshalltown Community College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $41,642 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Marshalltown Community College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $9,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Marshalltown Community College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 5 field-and-credential outcomes at Marshalltown Community College; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.
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.
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−$213,580
$8,000Current college-wide context−$245,580
$16,000Annual price−$277,580
$24,000Annual price−$309,580
$32,000Annual price−$341,580
$40,000Annual price−$373,580
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
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$8,059Average net price / year
$14,425Cost of attendance
$9,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$101/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$41,642Median earnings · year 5 after completion
42.3%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
788Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
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
38% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
20 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
37% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$34,811Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$45,874Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$50,206Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income28%
Middle income53%
Higher income65%
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
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Associate degree · Broad federal field 51
$63,712Year 1
$71,321Year 5
$73,958Year 10
Boilermaking/Boilermaker.Associate degree · Broad federal field 48
$59,105Year 1
$67,797Year 5
$70,135Year 10
Computer Programming.Associate degree · Broad federal field 11
$38,279Year 1
$52,401Year 5
$69,644Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 15
Not availableYear 1
$54,993Year 5
$65,986Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Associate degree · Broad federal field 43
$35,757Year 1
$43,347Year 5
$62,818Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 51
$36,444Year 1
$50,096Year 5
$58,964Year 10
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.Associate degree · Broad federal field 24
$28,622Year 1
$44,115Year 5
$56,457Year 10
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 46
$49,171Year 1
$55,464Year 5
$56,170Year 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 only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$38,401Year 1
$52,110Year 4
$41,642Year 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$62,1312Precision Metal Working · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$59,3313Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$45,363Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
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.
1Precision Metal WorkingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $59,331 reported+22%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $62,131 reported+11%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · $45,363 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$9,960federal 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.
Sioux City, IA
Western Iowa Tech Community College
- Annual net price
- $8,770
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,729
- 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%
Iowa Central Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,328
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,939
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -96%
Southeastern Community College
- Annual net price
- $12,347
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,137
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -108%
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 | $62,131 | Not available | 30 |
| Precision Metal Working | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $59,331 | Not available | 34 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $45,363 | $9,960 | Not reported |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | Not available | $6,837 | 57 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | Not available | $17,935 | 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.