North Iowa Area Community College
Mason City, IA500 College Dr, Mason City, IA 50401
641-423-1264
North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) is a public community college in Mason City, Iowa. It is one of the 15 community colleges in Iowa. NIACC serves Cerro Gordo and Worth counties in Iowa and southern Minnesota. The college offers more than 50 programs of study leading to an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Applied Science degree.
NIACC was established in 1918 as Mason City Junior College. It was the first junior college in Iowa and the third in the United States. The college moved to its current location in 1940. In 1963, the name was changed to North Iowa Area Community College.
NIACC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
NIACC is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees. Five trustees are elected by the voters of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties, and four are appointed by the Governor of Iowa.
The college has an annual budget of $35 million. It employs more than 400 full-time and part-time faculty and staff. More than 4,000 students are enrolled in credit courses, and another 2,000 are enrolled in non-credit courses.
NIACC is a residential campus. The college has four residence halls: East Hall, West Hall, North Hall, and South Hall. East and West Halls are for first-year students, and North and South Halls are for upper-classmen. The college also has an apartment complex for married students and students with children.
NIACC offers a wide variety of student activities and organizations. These include clubs, honor societies, intramural sports, and performing arts groups. The college also has a student newspaper, the NIACC Oracle, and a student-run radio station, KNIACC.
The college is home to the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, which provides resources and support for entrepreneurs. The center is named for John Pappajohn, a businessman and philanthropist from Iowa.
NIACC is a member of the Iowa Valley Conference, which is a conference of community colleges in Iowa. The college competes in men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball.
The college has an extensive continuing education program. It offers more than 1,000 courses each year for business and industry, government, and the general public.
NIACC is located in Mason City, Iowa, which is in north-central Iowa. The city is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County. Mason City is the largest city in the county, with a population of more than 27,000. The city is home to the Meredith Willson Museum, which is dedicated to the life and work of the composer of The Music Man.
Quick Facts
Enrollment: 2681
Type: Public, 2-year
Main Website: https://www.niacc.edu/
Financial Aid: https://www.niacc.edu/admissions/finance-your-education/financial-aid/
Annual Costs
Total Cost In-State On-Campus: $16818
Total Cost Out-State On-Campus: $19304
Return on Investment Rating
The estimated cost for four years as an undergraduate at North Iowa Area Community College is $66368.20. This includes the average cost of attendance for four years plus the interest on the average loan over a ten year repayment minus the average of grants and scholarships per student.
We then contrast this figure with average early-career and mid-career average incomes of graduates of four year programs at North Iowa Area Community College. For graduates of North Iowa Area Community College, we saw an average early-career income of $39700.00 and mid-career income of $63200.00. We then ranked the school's value based on how many years of mid-career income it takes to repay the educational costs.