Private for-profit · Community college

PCI Academy-Ames

Ames, Iowa · Small city

0%
Transfer rate: $20,533
Avg net price: 77%
Grad / completion: $31,330
Median earnings

PCI Academy-Ames is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Ames, Iowa (small city setting), enrolling 176 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 176 undergradsSmall cityCold winters

About Ames, Iowa

Ames is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Des Moines in central Iowa. Ames was founded by local resident Cynthia Olive Duff (née Kellogg) and railroad magnate John Insley Blair, near a location that was deemed favorable for a railroad crossing of the Skunk River and Ioway Creek. William West (1821–1919) became the first mayor of Ames in 1870. The Ames History Museum was founded in 1980, and includes a historic schoolhouse. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Certificate
Nearest big city: 28 miles to Des Moines, IA
To Great Lakes shore: 297 miles
Nearest airport: 32 miles to Des Moines (DSM) · major hub

How PCI Academy-Ames compares

Graduation rate77%

Higher than 72% · #13 of 39 in Iowa

First-year retention100%

Higher than 95%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,330

Higher than 36% · #21 of 38 in Iowa

Average net price$20,533

Cheaper than 30% · #36 cheapest of 39 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$5,828

Lower than 95%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment176

Larger than 42%

Percentiles compare PCI Academy-Ames 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 race / ethnicity

White75%
Black1.7%
Hispanic7.4%
Asian1.7%
Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 176
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 34%
First-generation students: 33%
Students over 25: 13%
Median family income: $38,753

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

Cost

In-state tuition: —
Room & board: —
Total cost of attendance: —
Average net price: $20,533

Outcomes

Graduated: 77%
First-year retention: 100%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $26,492
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $31,330
Median debt at graduation: $5,828
Students with federal loans: 53%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 46%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

77%

Low-income (Pell)

67%

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: $100

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

$22,393

$30–48k

—

$48–75k

—

$75–110k

—

$110k+

$18,673

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.

36%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$3,933

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 36% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,933. 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 50 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): $31,330
Typical debt at graduation: $5,828
Debt vs. one year's pay: 19%
Out-earn a HS grad: 40%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 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.

Campus climate

Summer high: 84°F
Winter low: 11°F
Annual rain: 35.9″
Annual snow: 27.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ames Muni AP, IA US station (0.6 mi from campus).

What PCI Academy-Ames graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

95 grads$24k 1 yr$30k 5 yr$11k debt

95$24,178$30,439$10,570 Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services

9 grads$27k 1 yr$32k 5 yr$8k debt

9$26,872$31,939$8,250

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 PCI Academy-Ames

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare PCI Academy-Ames side by side →

PCI Academy-Iowa City

For-profit

Iowa City, Iowa · Small city · 25 mi to Cedar Rapids

Students: 113
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $31k

Capri College-Cedar Rapids

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Students: 129
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $29k

Capri College-Dubuque

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Dubuque, Iowa · Small city · 62 mi to Cedar Rapids

Students: 165
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $28k

Aveda Institute-Des Moines

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West Des Moines, Iowa · Small city · 9 mi to Des Moines

Students: 244
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $36k

La James International College-Johnston

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Johnston, Iowa · Large suburb · 8 mi to Des Moines

Students: 141
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $27k

Capri College-Davenport

For-profit

Davenport, Iowa · Midsize city · 64 mi to Cedar Rapids

Students: 135
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $27k

Colleges near PCI Academy-Ames

Iowa State University

Ames, IA · Public · Bachelor's · 25,367 students

3 mi

Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary

Ankeny, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 405 students

18 mi

Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, IA · Public · Certificate · 10,446 students

20 mi

La James International College-Johnston

Johnston, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 141 students

24 mi

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,486 students

26 mi

Body Wisdom Massage Therapy School

Urbandale, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 45 students

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Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines

Des Moines, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 74 students

26 mi

Drake University

Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,543 students

27 mi

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.