After Southwestern Community College: graduation, pay and debt
Creston, Iowa · Public · 1,633 undergrads
The typical student earns $40,129 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $10,975 in federal loans at the median.
The short answers
$40.1k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
$11k
median federal debt at graduation.
46%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers
Finishing
Finished a two-year program within three yearsCollege Scorecard
53%
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
54%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
14%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
331
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard
18%
Pay after college
Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$36,878
Median pay 8 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$38,600
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$40,129
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard
56%
Debt and paying it back
Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard
$10,975
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard
$7,418
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard
$8,873
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard
$5,500
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
46%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
50%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
56%
Where these numbers come from
- Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard (checked May 7, 2026)
Updated May 8, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers