-12pp
150%-time completion
150%-time completion fell 12 pp at Buena Vista University vs the 2018–2022 baseline (47.3% vs 59.5%).
Iowa · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa. 1,378 undergraduate students. 58 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Buena Vista University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Buena Vista University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.6% → 0.0%).
+11%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Buena Vista University rose 11% between 2021 and 2024 ($37.5k → $41.8k).
+11%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Buena Vista University rose 11% between 2021 and 2024 ($37.5k → $41.8k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Iowa
Each tile compares this institution to the Iowa median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$49,156+13% · 6→10y
Iowa median $42,849$43,572
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry47.3%+26% · '97→'24
Iowa median 58.4%$17,500+178% · '97→'20
At program completion1,378-45% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS76.3%+1% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time71.8%-9% · '01→'24
latest cohort$40,190+143% · '00→'24
out-of-state $40,190SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
4.7%Median federal debt $17,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $49,156 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+26%
Buena Vista University · completion · 150% rose
49.1% → 61.7%
+37%
Buena Vista University · completion · 100% rose
39.2% → 53.7%
-45%
Buena Vista University · undergrad enrollment fell
2,473 → 1,366
+143%
Buena Vista University · in-state tuition rose
$17,176 → $41,798
+143%
Buena Vista University · out-of-state tuition rose
$17,176 → $41,798
+178%
Buena Vista University · median debt rose
$9,000 → $25,000
-100%
Buena Vista University · cohort default rate fell
5.2% → 0.0%
+21%
Buena Vista University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$40,600 → $49,156
+23%
Buena Vista University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$37,600 → $46,276
+24%
Buena Vista University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$35,000 → $43,572
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Finance and Financial Management Services.$74,244Curriculum and Instruction.$69,503Biology, General.$63,633Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations.$61,334Business Administration, Management and Operations.$58,956Accounting and Related Services.$58,537Student Counseling and Personnel Services.$57,279Marketing.$56,087Human Resources Management and Services.$53,762Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$52,766Health and Physical Education/Fitness.$52,330Criminal Justice and Corrections.$46,219Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$44,936Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other.$42,638Psychology, General.$38,073
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
15 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
EDUCATION · CIP 13
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Buena Vista University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$163,367
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 17
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $16,286
- HS-only baseline · IA
- $36,800
- Years to complete
- 6
- CIP family
- 13
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Iowa
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Buena Vista University graduates earn $X” — not “Buena Vista University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Buena Vista University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.