Attending Iowa Western is an affordable way to complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree. In addition, IWCC offers small class sizes, so students interact one-on-one with the instructors. In addition, our faculty member's primary jobs are to teach. This may seem obvious, but at many large universities, faculty member's primary jobs are to complete research or publish articles. The personal attention you receive here is invaluable. Furthermore, IWCC has activities and student life that is unique to community colleges

The bottom line is that most college level classes you take at Iowa Western will transfer. But there is so much more to this question, beginning with how the credits will transfer. As a student who wants to transfer, it is important that you work with your four-year institution from the beginning and to know how your credits will transfer; you do not want to take classes that you will have to repeat later, even though credit will be awarded.

The Associate of Arts (AA) and the Associate of Science (AS) degrees are specifically designed to transfer. In fact, Iowa Western has agreements with many regional colleges and universities that guarantee the acceptance of IWCC degrees and credits. Historically, the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree has not always transferred seamlessly; however, the number of institutions that accept AAS degrees and credits toward a bachelor’s degree is steadily increasing. Some of these degrees are referred to as Bachelor of Liberal Studies, Bachelor of General Studies, or Bachelor of Technology. The Associate of General Studies (AGS) is another degree that IWCC offers that is not designed to transfer.

Your goals, your major, and your transfer institution dictate which degree is the best option for you. Typically, you will want an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree because they are specifically designed to transfer.

There are many resources available to students who need assistance with the transfer process, including this website, your academic advisor, the transfer fair, and campus visits by representatives from various four-year institutions. In addition, four-year institutions also have resources that assist students with the transfer process, including admissions advisors, program advisors, and their website. Most institution's websites are very helpful to students who wish to transfer, so don’t underestimate the value of spending time on their site.

Iowa Western students transfer to a variety of schools but they have one thing in common – they all transfer to an institution that suits them. The school you choose will depend on such factors as your major, personal preferences, GPA, and distance from home. The schools to which most of our students transfer are: University of Nebraska at Omaha, Bellevue University, Iowa State University, Northwest Missouri State University, and Buena Vista University.

Iowa Western Community College is an accredited institution and your credits should transfer anywhere. If we don’t have an articulation agreement with a college or university it means that there isn’t anything in writing regarding transfer. If you wish to know how your credits will transfer to that institution you should contact them directly.