Public · Community college

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, Iowa · Large suburb

22%
Transfer rate
$14,629
Avg net price
40%
Grad / completion
$42,793
Median earnings

Iowa Western Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Council Bluffs, Iowa (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,916 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,916 undergradsLarge suburbNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Council Bluffs, Iowa

Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The first Council Bluff (which is singular) was on the Nebraska side of the river at Fort Atkinson, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of the city of Council Bluffs. It was named by Lewis and Clark for a bluff where they met the Otoe people on August 2, 1804. Council Bluffs is the location of the Pottawattamie County "Squirrel Cage" Jail, in use from 1885 until 1969, which is one of three remaining examples of a Rotary Jail. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
7 miles to Omaha, NE
To Great Lakes shore
417 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Eppley Airfield (OMA) · major hub

How Iowa Western Community College compares

Graduation rate40%

Higher than 26% · #37 of 39 in Iowa

First-year retention57%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,793

Higher than 79% · #6 of 38 in Iowa

Average net price$14,629

Cheaper than 52% · #23 cheapest of 39 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$11,033

Lower than 35%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 21%

Undergraduate enrollment2,916

Larger than 85%

Percentiles compare Iowa Western 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

2,916undergrads
  • Women1,57554%
  • Men1,34146%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White58%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian1.5%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,916
Student–faculty ratio
22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
24%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$29,881
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$60,300
Endowment
$33,787,705

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 1,162 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa52%
  • Other U.S. states43%
  • International5.1%

A regional draw: about 52% of first-years come from Iowa, the rest from elsewhere.

5% came from outside the U.S. 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
$6,930
Out-of-state tuition
$7,080
Room & board
$8,750
Books & supplies
$1,290
Total cost of attendance
$18,978
Average net price
$14,629

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
40%
First-year retention
57%
Transferred to another college
22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,628
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,793
Median debt at graduation
$11,033
Students with federal loans
20%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
38%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
40%
Low-income (Pell)
24%
First-generation
24%

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
1,191
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
41%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
837 (553 men · 284 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 (14)

Other Sports157
Football134
Soccer113
Track and Field (Indoor)69
Track and Field (Outdoor)69
Baseball55
Basketball54
Wrestling52
Cross Country32
Softball30
Golf20
Bowling20
Volleyball19
Swimming13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
33
Property offenses (2022–2024)
32

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 7 campuses (5,540 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.

22reported offenses a year
11 violent a year11 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
11
Aggravated assault
5.7
Rape
2.3
Fondling
1.7
Robbery
1.3

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
$13,099
$30–48k
$12,217
$48–75k
$14,706
$75–110k
$17,225
$110k+
$18,209

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.

43%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,002
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 43% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,002. 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 861 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)
$42,793
Typical debt at graduation
$11,033
Debt vs. one year's pay
26%
Out-earn a HS grad
50%

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
$38,456
Men
$48,504

Men out-earn women by $10,048 (26%) 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
88°F
Winter low
15°F
Annual rain
31.9″
Annual snow
27.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE US station (5.9 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 Western Community College

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

Colleges near Iowa Western 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.