Public · Community college

Iowa Central Community College

Fort Dodge, Iowa · Remote town

#5 best value in Iowa
0%
Transfer rate
$9,328
Avg net price
42%
Grad / completion
$42,046
Median earnings

Iowa Central Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Fort Dodge, Iowa (remote town setting), enrolling 3,103 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,103 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division IICold wintersSnowy

About Fort Dodge, Iowa

Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. Fort Dodge traces its beginnings to 1850 when Capt. Samuel Woods, with his E Company of the 6th Infantry were sent from Fort Snelling to erect and garrison a fort at the junction of the Des Moines River and Lizard Creek, they arrived August 2, 1850. The Fort Museum and Frontier Village is located on the southwest edge of Fort Dodge. It is a full-scale recreation of a military outpost on the prairie from the 19th century. It also features a reconstructed village from the same time period. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
310 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Fort Dodge (FOD)

How Iowa Central Community College compares

Graduation rate42%

Higher than 27% · #35 of 39 in Iowa

First-year retention52%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,046

Higher than 76% · #8 of 38 in Iowa

Average net price$9,328

Cheaper than 73% · #5 cheapest of 39 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$11,000

Lower than 36%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment3,103

Larger than 86%

Percentiles compare Iowa Central Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

3,103undergrads
  • Women1,45147%
  • Men1,65253%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White57%
  • Black14%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial17%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,103
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
17%
Median family income
$29,191
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$77,679
Endowment
$6,412,346

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$5,496
Out-of-state tuition
$7,788
Room & board
$8,655
Books & supplies
$1,460
Total cost of attendance
$15,222
Average net price
$9,328

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
42%
First-year retention
52%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,830
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,046
Median debt at graduation
$11,000
Students with federal loans
36%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
35%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
42%
Low-income (Pell)
30%
First-generation
30%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,265
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
41%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
850 (616 men · 234 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (15)

Football175
Track and Field (Indoor)97
Track and Field (Outdoor)97
Wrestling77
Soccer66
Baseball63
Basketball57
Bowling45
Rodeo35
Cross Country33
Golf25
Volleyball24
Softball22
Swimming17
Tennis17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
9
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,949 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

5.0reported offenses a year
3.0 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.0
Fondling
0.3
Burglary
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$7,837
$30–48k
$7,865
$48–75k
$8,948
$75–110k
$12,252
$110k+
$12,424

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

73%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,175
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 73% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,175. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,014 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$42,046
Typical debt at graduation
$11,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
26%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$35,534
Men
$49,037

Men out-earn women by $13,503 (38%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
83°F
Winter low
7°F
Annual rain
35.1″
Annual snow
39″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, FT Dodge 5Nnw, IA US station (6.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Iowa Central Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Iowa Central Community College side by side →

Colleges near Iowa Central Community College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.