Iowa · Public · Predominantly associate's

North Iowa Area Community College

Mason City, Iowa. 1,271 undergraduate students. 50 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.

ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at North Iowa Area Community College

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.

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+12%

Out-of-state tuition

Out-of-state tuition at North Iowa Area Community College rose 12% between 2021 and 2024 ($8.5k → $9.6k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER-100%

3-year cohort default rate

3-year cohort default rate at North Iowa Area Community College fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (5.9% → 0.0%).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+11%

In-state tuition

In-state tuition at North Iowa Area Community College rose 11% between 2021 and 2024 ($6.0k → $6.7k).

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.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$43,462+10% · 6→10y
Iowa median $42,849
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$39,491
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
55.2%-3% · '97→'09
Iowa median 58.4%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$6,000+258% · '97→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
1,271-44% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
72.7%+21% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$6,436+200% · '00→'24
out-of-state $9,245
SECTION 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).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
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

1.8%
0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $6,000 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $43,462 (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.

UNDERGRAD · 199620241,320
3,6311,27119962024
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 1997200936.7%
49%36%19972009
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020$9,500
$9,500$2,62519972020
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
RETENTION · 20042024+21%

North Iowa Area Community College · retention rose

55.0% → 66.7%

UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT · 19962024-44%

North Iowa Area Community College · undergrad enrollment fell

2,341 → 1,320

IN-STATE TUITION · 20002024+200%

North Iowa Area Community College · in-state tuition rose

$2,214 → $6,653

OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 20002024+200%

North Iowa Area Community College · out-of-state tuition rose

$3,182 → $9,551

MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020+258%

North Iowa Area Community College · median debt rose

$2,652 → $9,500

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 20112024-100%

North Iowa Area Community College · cohort default rate fell

13.6% → 0.0%

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_10YR · 20072020+23%

North Iowa Area Community College · earnings_median_10yr rose

$35,300 → $43,462

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 20032020+25%

North Iowa Area Community College · earnings_median_6yr rose

$31,600 → $39,491

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at North Iowa Area Community College

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
$177,212
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 10
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
graduationbreakeven · year 10year 0year 39
Cost per year
$8,921
HS-only baseline · IA
$36,800
Years to complete
2
CIP family
24

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

CAUSAL DISCIPLINE

North Iowa Area Community College graduates earn $X” — not “North Iowa Area Community College makes you earn $X”

Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending North Iowa Area Community College 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.

Methodology →