Public · Community college

Western Iowa Tech Community College

Sioux City, Iowa · Small city

#4 best value in Iowa
7%
Transfer rate
$8,770
Avg net price
50%
Grad / completion
$40,473
Median earnings

Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Sioux City, Iowa (small city setting), enrolling 2,647 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,647 undergradsSmall cityNJCAA Division IICold wintersSnowy

About Sioux City, Iowa

Sioux City is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Iowa is in the tallgrass prairie of the North American Great Plains, historically inhabited by speakers of Siouan languages. The Sioux City Public Museum was originally located in a Northside neighborhood of fine Victorian mansions. The portico-and-gabled stone building was originally the home of the banker, John Peirce, and was built in 1890. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
361 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Sioux Gateway Airport / Brigadier General Bud Day Field (SUX)

How Western Iowa Tech Community College compares

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 36% · #28 of 39 in Iowa

First-year retention64%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,473

Higher than 70% · #15 of 38 in Iowa

Average net price$8,770

Cheaper than 75% · #4 cheapest of 39 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$11,000

Lower than 36%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment2,647

Larger than 85%

Percentiles compare Western Iowa Tech 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

2,647undergrads
  • Women1,46855%
  • Men1,17945%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Black8.5%
  • Hispanic25%
  • Asian1.8%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,647
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
45%
Students over 25
20%
Median family income
$30,445
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$62,775
Endowment
$4,473,910

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 799 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa82%
  • Other U.S. states14%
  • International3.5%

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

4% 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
$5,186
Out-of-state tuition
$5,330
Room & board
$6,795
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$14,894
Average net price
$8,770

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
64%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,639
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,473
Median debt at graduation
$11,000
Students with federal loans
17%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
40%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
50%
Low-income (Pell)
29%
First-generation
29%

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
450
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
17%
Housing charge (year)
$3,951
Meal plan (year)
$2,340
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
83 (50 men · 33 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 (3)

Soccer55
Basketball15
Volleyball13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (5,482 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.

3.7reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.7
Burglary
1.0
Arson
0.7
Aggravated assault
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
$7,662
$30–48k
$7,636
$48–75k
$8,887
$75–110k
$10,033
$110k+
$12,955

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.

53%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,420
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 53% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,420. 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 507 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)
$40,473
Typical debt at graduation
$11,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
27%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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
$37,283
Men
$46,775

Men out-earn women by $9,492 (25%) 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
86°F
Winter low
9°F
Annual rain
30.3″
Annual snow
36″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sioux City Ang, IA US station (6.2 mi from campus).

What Western Iowa Tech 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 Western Iowa Tech Community College

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

Colleges near Western Iowa Tech 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.