Public · Community college

Iowa Lakes Community College

Estherville, Iowa · Remote town

#4 for grad earnings in Iowa
14%
Transfer rate
$13,933
Avg net price
50%
Grad / completion
$43,108
Median earnings

Iowa Lakes Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Estherville, Iowa (remote town setting), enrolling 941 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 941 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division IICold wintersSnowy

About Estherville, Iowa

Estherville is a city in Estherville Township, Emmet County, Iowa, United States. Emmet County was initially created by an act of the Iowa Legislature in 1851. The area that is now Estherville saw its first settlers arrive around 1856 and into 1857. The city was selected as the county seat in 1859, and was eventually incorporated in 1881. (Wikipedia)

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

How Iowa Lakes Community College compares

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 37% · #27 of 39 in Iowa

First-year retention61%

Higher than 25%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,108

Higher than 79% · #4 of 38 in Iowa

Average net price$13,933

Cheaper than 55% · #20 cheapest of 39 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment941

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare Iowa Lakes 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

941undergrads
  • Women46449%
  • Men47751%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White74%
  • Black4.4%
  • Hispanic7.8%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
941
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
19%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$36,840
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$57,726
Endowment
$9,253,813

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 414 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa76%
  • Other U.S. states24%

Most first-years stay in state — Iowa Lakes Community College draws overwhelmingly from Iowa.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,392
Out-of-state tuition
$7,872
Room & board
$8,310
Books & supplies
$1,090
Total cost of attendance
$20,120
Average net price
$13,933

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
50%
First-year retention
61%
Transferred to another college
14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,209
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$43,108
Median debt at graduation
$12,000
Students with federal loans
18%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
49%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
50%
Low-income (Pell)
10%
First-generation
11%

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
507
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
54%
Housing charge (year)
$3,150
Meal plan (year)
$4,860
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
226 (142 men · 84 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 (9)

Soccer64
Baseball40
Wrestling33
Basketball24
Golf20
Softball15
Volleyball13
Rifle10
Swimming7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (1,945 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Arson
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
$11,420
$30–48k
$11,764
$48–75k
$13,097
$75–110k
$16,461
$110k+
$17,325

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.

62%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,169
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 62% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,169. 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 293 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)
$43,108
Typical debt at graduation
$12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
28%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 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
$36,401
Men
$50,904

Men out-earn women by $14,503 (40%) 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
82°F
Winter low
5°F
Annual rain
31.7″
Annual snow
41.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Estherville 4E, IA US station (4.4 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 Lakes Community College

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

Colleges near Iowa Lakes 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.