Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, Iowa · Also known as DMACC · Website
$41,018
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$41,018
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Des Moines Area Community College is a public 2-year college in Ankeny, Iowa with 10,446 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $11,171 a year (tuition and fees $5,790 in-state, $6,690 out-of-state). 39% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $41,018 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $11,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$11,171
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$5,790
Out-of-state $6,690
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
39%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$11,000
About $117 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$41,018
Rank 2,516 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $11,171
- Tuition in-state
- $5,790
- Tuition out-of-state
- $6,690
- Cost of attendance
- $16,204
- Students with a need-based grant
- 16%
- Students with federal loans
- 11%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,132
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,175
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $11,130
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $13,455
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $15,534
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $3,913 in 2015-16 to $5,790 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 10,446
- Part-time students
- 51%
- Women
- 58%
- Students per teacher
- 21
- Completion rate
- 39%
- Retention rate
- 63%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 116
- Endowment
- $7.02M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,516 of 5,094 US colleges and 39 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $11,171 | $17,730 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $5,790 | $20,270 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 80% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 39% | 65% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 63% | 74% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $11,000 | $14,745 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $39,349 | $39,099 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $41,018 | $42,793 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 40% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 65% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
116 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 1,216 | Withheld | $34,390 | $40,673 | $56,073 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 934 | $9,500 | $31,453 | $45,505 | $44,125 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 321 | $5,500 | $39,397 | $52,238 | $48,702 |
| Homeland SecurityOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 227 | Withheld | $54,209 | $74,269 | $62,995 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 187 | $7,500 | $45,688 | $65,586 | $57,584 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 162 | $15,075 | $59,181 | $68,315 | $80,813 |
| Computer ProgrammingCertificate | Certificate | 94 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 94 | $10,434 | $35,852 | $60,716 | $48,733 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 78 | $8,770 | $52,325 | $63,673 | $58,424 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 74 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,589 |
| Computer ProgrammingOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 62 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 58 | $9,750 | $42,555 | $50,877 | $46,706 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 56 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 55 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,135 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementAssociate's | Associate's | 45 | $8,684 | $40,506 | $55,546 | $47,825 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 44 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,930 |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary ScienceOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 43 | $9,500 | $49,355 | $67,653 | $47,296 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssociate's | Associate's | 41 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Environmental Control Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,268 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssociate's | Associate's | 37 | $10,167 | $66,093 | Withheld | $54,726 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 37 | $16,625 | $47,400 | $62,072 | $47,660 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 36 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,202 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 35 | Withheld | $35,662 | $48,259 | $35,447 |
| Design and Applied ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 33 | $13,000 | $25,265 | $36,996 | $38,127 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 32 | $8,334 | $26,913 | $40,878 | $39,605 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Ankeny and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Des Moines Area Community College cost?
$11,171 a year is the average net price at Des Moines Area Community College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $5,790 for in-state students and $6,690 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $16,204. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,132 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Des Moines Area Community College?
Des Moines Area Community College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Des Moines Area Community College graduates earn?
$41,018 a year is the median pay of former Des Moines Area Community College students who work, 10 years after they started ($39,349 after 6 years). That ranks 2,516 of 5,094 US colleges and 39 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Associate's) at $66,093.
How much student debt do Des Moines Area Community College graduates have?
$11,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Des Moines Area Community College graduates, about $117 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 11% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Des Moines Area Community College?
39% of first-time, full-time students at Des Moines Area Community College finish within 3 years. 63% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Des Moines Area Community College?
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (1,216 certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (934 associate's graduates), Precision Metal Working (321 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 116 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.