Private for-profit · Community college

Aveda Institute-Des Moines

West Des Moines, Iowa · Small city

0%
Transfer rate
$18,552
Avg net price
88%
Grad / completion
$36,132
Median earnings

Aveda Institute-Des Moines is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in West Des Moines, Iowa (small city setting), enrolling 244 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 244 undergradsSmall cityCold wintersSnowy

About West Des Moines, Iowa

West Des Moines is a city in Iowa, United States. The West Des Moines area used to be home to the Sac and Meskwaki peoples. Near the stroke of midnight on October 11, 1845, a gunshot was fired by a cattle farmer, James Cunningham Jordan (1813–1891) to declare that the area was open for Anglo-European settlement. Hy-Vee, FBL Financial Group, GuideOne Insurance, American Equity, Sammons Financial Group, ITA Group, Windsor Windows & Doors and the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care are headquartered in West Des Moines. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Certificate
To Great Lakes shore
311 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Des Moines (DSM) · major hub

How Aveda Institute-Des Moines compares

Graduation rate88%

Higher than 87% · #8 of 39 in Iowa

First-year retention89%

Higher than 79%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,132

Higher than 53% · #20 of 38 in Iowa

Average net price$18,552

Cheaper than 37% · #32 cheapest of 39 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$8,461

Lower than 70%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment244

Larger than 49%

Percentiles compare Aveda Institute-Des Moines with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White56%
  • Black5.3%
  • Hispanic4.9%
  • Asian2.9%
  • Other or multiracial31%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
244
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
41%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$37,296

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
Room & board
Total cost of attendance
Average net price
$18,552

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
88%
First-year retention
89%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,130
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$36,132
Median debt at graduation
$8,461
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$100

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$18,486
$30–48k
$9,412
$48–75k
$15,446
$75–110k
$23,501
$110k+
$23,501

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Aveda Institute-Des Moines funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.

Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$36,132
Typical debt at graduation
$8,461
Debt vs. one year's pay
23%
Out-earn a HS grad

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
36.5″
Annual snow
36.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Des Moines Intl AP, IA US station (8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Aveda Institute-Des Moines

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Aveda Institute-Des Moines side by side →

Colleges near Aveda Institute-Des Moines

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.