Public · Community college
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, Iowa · Midsize city
- 8%
- Transfer rate
- $9,705
- Avg net price
- 43%
- Grad / completion
- $41,016
- Median earnings
Kirkwood Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (midsize city setting), enrolling 7,591 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and the county seat. The location of present-day Cedar Rapids was in the territory of the Meskwaki and Sauk peoples at the time of European American settlement. Cedar Rapids is home to Orchestra Iowa, the Paramount Theatre, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, McGrath Amphitheatre, and Brucemore, a National Trust Historic Site. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 5 miles to Cedar Rapids, IA
- To Great Lakes shore
- 198 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to The Eastern Iowa (CID)
How Kirkwood Community College compares
Higher than 29% · #33 of 39 in Iowa
Higher than 46%
Higher than 73% · #11 of 38 in Iowa
Cheaper than 71% · #7 cheapest of 39 in Iowa
Lower than 29%
Lower than 29%
Larger than 94%
Percentiles compare Kirkwood 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
- Women4,04353%
- Men3,54847%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White64%
- Black15%
- Hispanic8.1%
- Asian1.7%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 7,591
- Student–faculty ratio
- 20 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 24%
- First-generation students
- 39%
- Students over 25
- 16%
- Median family income
- $31,617
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $75,267
- Endowment
- $45,299,825
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 2,318 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Iowa94%
- Other U.S. states4.7%
- International1.8%
Most first-years stay in state — Kirkwood Community College draws overwhelmingly from Iowa.
2% 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
- $6,176
- Out-of-state tuition
- $8,220
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $15,579
- Average net price
- $9,705
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
- 43%
- First-year retention
- 71%
- Transferred to another college
- 8%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,525
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $41,016
- Median debt at graduation
- $12,000
- Students with federal loans
- 21%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 39%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division II
- Varsity athletes
- 112 (66 men · 46 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 (5)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 7 campuses (12,763 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 32% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,676. 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 1,503 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)
- $41,016
- Typical debt at graduation
- $12,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 29%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 53%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $10,375 (28%) 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
- 11°F
- Annual rain
- 35.9″
- Annual snow
- 34.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cedar Rapids Muni AP, IA US station (3.9 mi from campus).
What Kirkwood Community College graduates study — and earn
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 Kirkwood Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Kirkwood Community College side by side →
Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, Iowa · Large suburb · 8 mi to Des Moines
- Students
- 10,446
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $41k
Iowa Central Community College
Fort Dodge, Iowa · Remote town · 69 mi to Des Moines
- Students
- 3,103
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $42k
Eastern Iowa Community College District
Davenport, Iowa · Midsize city · 64 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 3,520
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $39k
Western Iowa Tech Community College
Sioux City, Iowa · Small city · 76 mi to Sioux Falls
- Students
- 2,647
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $40k
Hawkeye Community College
Waterloo, Iowa · Fringe rural · 46 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 2,626
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $43k
Polk State College
Winter Haven, Florida · Small city · 40 mi to Orlando
- Students
- 7,180
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $41k
Colleges near Kirkwood Community College
Capri College-Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 129 students
Mercy-St Luke's School of Radiologic Technology
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 21 students
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,164 students
Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,107 students
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,086 students
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA · Public · Bachelor's · 22,264 students
PCI Academy-Iowa City
Iowa City, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 113 students
Carlson College of Massage Therapy
Anamosa, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 39 students
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.