Northwest Iowa Community College

Best Community Colleges: Northwest Iowa Community College (IA)

Northwest Iowa Community College (NWICC), an institution of higher learning, is situated on a large campus in the rural town of Sheldon, Iowa.

For local residents, the Northwest Iowa Lifelong Learning and Recreation Center is a state-of-the-art recreational facility which includes an indoor walking/running track, fitness classes, yoga, Pilates, indoor cycling, training with certified personal trainers, and much more.

Northwest Iowa Community College offers vocational technical programs and arts and sciences transfer courses, a total of 43 programs. Examples of areas of stuffy include:

• Engineering Design
• Photography
• Early Childhood Education
• Paralegal
• Natural Resources & Conservation

NWICC’s student placement rate averages 98% and its skilled specialist programs have consistently had 100% employment success for its graduates.

The junior college has transfer agreements with universities throughout the Midwest, including South Dakota State University, University of Iowa, and Iowa State University.

Enrollment in credit programs is approximately 2,000 annually; non-credit enrollment exceeds 28,000 for students of high school completion, continuing education, online education and skill training services for area businesses.

The NWICC College for High School Students offers a chance for some to complete their high school diploma and begin career training or college-level study.

The NW Iowa Development Network is comprised of local and regional businesses and partners with NWICC and the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) to address the rapid growth in the rural sector of NW Iowa.

Northwest Iowa Community College ranked #7 in the CNN Money listing of community colleges in 2012 and The Aspen Institute listed NW Iowa Community College among the top 10% of U.S. community colleges in 2013.