Public Associate Good 66/100

Kirkwood Community College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Cedar Rapids, Iowa

About Kirkwood Community College

Thinking about Kirkwood Community College, a college in Iowa where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Kirkwood Community College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It enrolls 7,591 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
Open
Graduation
25.2%
Net Price
$9,705
Median Earnings (10yr)
$41,016
Enrollment
7,591
Student : Faculty
20:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
66/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes 54
Value 58
Affordability 37
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, Kirkwood Community College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.

Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $9,705 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$9,705
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
24%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
21%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$6,176
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$8,220
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,090
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,606
Total Cost of Attendance
$15,579

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $6,967
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $7,084
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $9,514
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $12,106
  • Over $110,000
    $14,091

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,000
10% percentile
$3,500
25% percentile
$12,000
Median percentile
$13,500
75% percentile
$24,010
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $8,470 ↓ $3,530
No Pell $5,980 ↓ $6,020
Dependent students $6,000 ↓ $6,000
Independent students $10,479 ↓ $1,521
Female students $8,000 ↓ $4,000
Male students $7,000 ↓ $5,000
Pell recipients: 18.4% (2,213 students)No Pell: 13.0% (1,562 students)Dependent students: 13.1% (1,568 students)Independent students: 22.8% (2,738 students)Female students: 17.4% (2,090 students)Male students: 15.2% (1,829 students)Overall Median$12,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($12,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

25% of students who start here finish within six years, and 70% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
25%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
70%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $41,016 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$41,016
Earning > $25K
67%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$37,000$38,000$39,500$40,500$41,5006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$32,600

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$43,900

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$32,200

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$39,400

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$43,700

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $11,300, about 26% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 20.7 pts across 6 years
57.7%1yr61.5%3yr68.6%5yr78.4%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 78% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 7,591 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 39% are the first in their family to go to college, and 48% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
7,591
Part-Time
48%
First-Generation
39%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 64.4% 4,889
Black 15.0% 1,142
Hispanic 8.1% 614
Other 4.3% 328
International 2.8% 209
Asian 1.7% 130
White: 64.4% (4,889 students)Black: 15.0% (1,142 students)Hispanic: 8.1% (614 students)Other: 4.3% (328 students)International: 2.8% (209 students)Asian: 1.7% (130 students)Total7,591

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Kirkwood Community College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Midsize City Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
16% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Kirkwood Community College offers an extensive catalog of programs: 67 distinct programs across 21 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

1 Program
9 Programs
10 Programs
3 Programs
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 20 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
20:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$7,885
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$40M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$68,250
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

229 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 83 36% $78,777
Associate Professors 45 20% $68,845
Assistant Professors 52 23% $63,020
Instructors 48 21% $59,770
No Rank 1 0% $46,110

Pros & Cons of Kirkwood Community College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Kirkwood Community College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • Open admissions
  • Low typical debt at graduation
CONS
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • Modest first-year retention
  • Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for: Based on the data, Kirkwood Community College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kirkwood Community College

The questions families ask most about Kirkwood Community College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Kirkwood Community College hard to get into?
Not especially. Kirkwood Community College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Kirkwood Community College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Kirkwood Community College cost?
Budget around $9,705 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Kirkwood Community College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $41,016 a year against a net price of $9,705, about 4.2 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Kirkwood Community College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Practical Nursing, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Kirkwood Community College graduates earn?
About $41,016 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Kirkwood Community College accredited?
Yes. Kirkwood Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Kirkwood Community College?
7,591 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Kirkwood Community College?
25% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Kirkwood Community College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Kirkwood Community College located?
Kirkwood Community College is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
What programs does Kirkwood Community College offer?
67 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Practical Nursing, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Kirkwood Community College?
20 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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