Public · Community college

Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, Iowa · Large suburb

17%
Transfer rate
$11,171
Avg net price
39%
Grad / completion
$41,018
Median earnings

Des Moines Area Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Ankeny, Iowa (large suburb setting), enrolling 10,446 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 10,446 undergradsLarge suburbNJCAA Division IICold winters

About Ankeny, Iowa

Ankeny is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States and a suburb of the state capital of Des Moines. Ankeny was founded as an agrarian community on April 22, 1875, by John Fletcher Ankeny and Sarah "Sally" Ankeny (née Wolgamot) on 80 acres purchased on July 11, 1874, for $1,600. The town, a single square mile, was formally incorporated on February 28, 1903. There used to be a YMCA in Ankeny, of the YMCA of Greater Des Moines. It closed on March 1, 2019, due to problems with funding and a decline in membership. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
300 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Des Moines (DSM) · major hub

How Des Moines Area Community College compares

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 25% · #38 of 39 in Iowa

First-year retention63%

Higher than 30%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,018

Higher than 73% · #10 of 38 in Iowa

Average net price$11,171

Cheaper than 66% · #11 cheapest of 39 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$11,000

Lower than 36%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment10,446

Larger than 97%

Percentiles compare Des Moines Area Community College 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 gender

10,446undergrads
  • Women5,71655%
  • Men4,73045%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White66%
  • Black10%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian4.3%
  • Other or multiracial7.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
10,446
Student–faculty ratio
21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
16%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$34,507
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,737
Endowment
$7,022,159

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,868 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa98%
  • Other U.S. states1.9%

Most first-years stay in state — Des Moines Area Community College draws overwhelmingly from Iowa.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$5,790
Out-of-state tuition
$6,690
Room & board
$8,244
Books & supplies
$810
Total cost of attendance
$16,204
Average net price
$11,171

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
39%
First-year retention
63%
Transferred to another college
17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,349
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,018
Median debt at graduation
$11,000
Students with federal loans
11%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
35%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
39%
Low-income (Pell)
26%
First-generation
26%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
224
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
2%
Housing charge (year)
$5,400
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
182 (102 men · 80 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (6)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)59
Baseball41
Basketball30
Softball25
Golf14
Volleyball13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 12 campuses (23,697 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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
$9,132
$30–48k
$9,175
$48–75k
$11,130
$75–110k
$13,455
$110k+
$15,534

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?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

19%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,643
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 19% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,643. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,662 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

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

Median earnings (10 years)
$41,018
Typical debt at graduation
$11,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
27%
Out-earn a HS grad
53%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$36,760
Men
$47,391

Men out-earn women by $10,631 (29%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
12°F
Annual rain
37″
Annual snow
24.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ankeny, IA US station (2.6 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 Des Moines Area Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Des Moines Area Community College side by side →

Colleges near Des Moines Area Community College

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.