Mercy College of Health Sciences
Des Moines, Iowa · Website
$62,234
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$62,234
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Des Moines, Iowa with 867 undergraduates and 2 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $26,924 a year (tuition and fees $17,664). It admits 100% of applicants and 66% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $62,234 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $14,745 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$26,924
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$17,664
US median $11,837
Admission rate
100%
US median 78%
Completion rate
66%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$14,745
About $156 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$62,234
Rank 672 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
- $26,924
- Tuition and fees
- $17,664
- Cost of attendance
- $34,398
- Students with a need-based grant
- 34%
- Students with federal loans
- 63%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $24,171
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $27,533
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $29,193
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $26,615
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $29,953
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 $16,268 in 2015-16 to $17,664 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
- 100%
- Average SAT
- 980
- ACT, middle
- 20
- Undergraduates
- 867
- Graduate students
- 2
- Part-time students
- 61%
- Women
- 87%
- Students per teacher
- 7
- Completion rate
- 66%
- Retention rate
- 69%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 11
- Endowment
- $11.5M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
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 672 of 5,094 US colleges and 6 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $26,924 | $17,730 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $17,664 | $20,270 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 100% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 66% | 65% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 69% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $14,745 | $14,745 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $53,375 | $39,099 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $62,234 | $42,793 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 68% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 85% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
11 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 286 | $18,750 | $66,309 | $71,148 | $88,910 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 71 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,272 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 33 | Withheld | Withheld | $71,704 | $57,584 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,009 | $58,716 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 26 | $25,204 | $63,867 | $72,435 | $80,813 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 19 | $19,614 | $55,912 | $61,202 | $65,389 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | $69,417 | $38,675 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,911 |
| Public HealthOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,808 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | $47,946 | $42,269 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 0 | - | - | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Des Moines and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Mercy College of Health Sciences cost?
$26,924 a year is the average net price at Mercy College of Health Sciences after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $17,664, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $34,398. Families earning under $30,000 pay $24,171 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Mercy College of Health Sciences?
100% of applicants are admitted to Mercy College of Health Sciences. The average SAT score of admitted students is 980 and the middle ACT score is 20. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Mercy College of Health Sciences graduates earn?
$62,234 a year is the median pay of former Mercy College of Health Sciences students who work, 10 years after they started ($53,375 after 6 years). That ranks 672 of 5,094 US colleges and 6 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $66,309.
How much student debt do Mercy College of Health Sciences graduates have?
$14,745 is the median federal student loan debt of Mercy College of Health Sciences graduates, about $156 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 63% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Mercy College of Health Sciences?
66% of first-time, full-time students at Mercy College of Health Sciences finish within 6 years. 69% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (286 bachelor's graduates), Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (71 certificate graduates), Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (33 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 11 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.