Is Iowa Lakes Community College Worth It?

Iowa Lakes Community College gives you a low-cost entry point with a modest payoff, and where you land depends heavily on your program. At about $11k a year in net price and $12,000 in median debt, the financial risk here is small compared to a four-year school. Median earnings ten years out sit near $43k, which is solid for a rural Iowa two-year college but not a ticket to high income.

Nursing is the clear winner. It pays roughly $47k, the top earnings of any program here, and it feeds directly into the regional healthcare demand across northwest Iowa. The catch is debt: nursing grads carry over $20k, nearly double the school's median, so the higher pay comes at a higher cost. Vehicle maintenance and repair lands around $34k and connects to steady local trade work.

The weaker bets are stark. Liberal arts, business administration, and somatic bodywork all report earnings in the low-to-mid $20k range. If you take one of these as a terminal associate degree, your paycheck may barely clear what you spent. These programs make more sense as a transfer step toward a bachelor's than as a final credential.

The graduation rate is the real concern. Only about a quarter of students finish, so the biggest risk here is paying for credits and leaving without a degree that lifts your earnings.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families: you pay under $9k if your family earns below $48k, but that climbs past $13k above $110k. This school fits you if you want nursing or a trade, or a cheap transfer launch. Look elsewhere if you want an associate degree in business or liberal arts to be your endpoint.