Private nonprofit · College

Mercy College of Health Sciences

Des Moines, Iowa · Midsize city

99.7%
Admit rate
$26,924
Avg net price
66%
Graduation rate
$62,234
Median earnings

Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Des Moines, Iowa (midsize city setting), enrolling 867 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 867 undergradsMidsize cityOpen admissionCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Mercy College of Health Sciences's admitted students.

Admit rate
99.7%
ACT (mid 50%)
16–21
Avg GPA (est.)
2.81

Enter a test score to see where you land against Mercy College of Health Sciences's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Mercy College of Health Sciences's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. Des Moines takes its name from Fort Des Moines (1843–46), which was named for the Des Moines River. This was adopted from the name given by French colonists. The City of Des Moines is a cultural center for Iowa and home to several art and history museums and performing arts groups. The Des Moines Performing Arts routinely hosts touring Broadway shows and other live professional theater. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Des Moines, IA
To Great Lakes shore
302 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Des Moines (DSM) · major hub

How Mercy College of Health Sciences compares

Selectivity99.7%

More selective than 4% · #27 most selective of 28 in Iowa

SAT average980

Higher than 6%

Graduation rate66%

Higher than 70% · #14 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention69%

Higher than 28%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$62,234

Higher than 72% · #6 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$26,924

Cheaper than 24% · #26 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$14,745

Lower than 91%

Student–faculty ratio7 : 1

Lower than 92%

Undergraduate enrollment867

Larger than 34%

Percentiles compare Mercy College of Health Sciences with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

869students
  • Undergraduate867100%
  • Graduate20%

Undergraduates by gender

867undergrads
  • Women74886%
  • Men11914%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian6.2%
  • Other or multiracial3.7%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
867
Graduate enrollment
2
Student–faculty ratio
7 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
50%
Median family income
$41,783
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$56,952
Endowment
$11,546,487

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

Admissions

Admission rate
99.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
980
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
16–21
Average GPA (estimated)
2.81

Cost

In-state tuition
$17,664
Room & board
Books & supplies
$2,328
Total cost of attendance
$34,398
Average net price
$26,924

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 (within 6 years)
66%
Graduated on time (4 years)
67%
First-year retention
69%
Transferred to another college
14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$53,375
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$62,234
Median debt at graduation
$14,745
Students with federal loans
63%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
62%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
67%
Low-income (Pell)
54%
First-generation
57%

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
No
Application fee
Free

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (869 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.7

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
$24,171
$30–48k
$27,533
$48–75k
$29,193
$75–110k
$26,615
$110k+
$29,953

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$116,772

$29,193/year × about 4.0 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

31%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,335
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 31% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,335. 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 48 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)
$62,234
Typical debt at graduation
$14,745
Debt vs. one year's pay
24%
Out-earn a HS grad
80%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$60,962
Men
$69,545

Men out-earn women by $8,583 (14%) 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
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 (4.4 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 Mercy College of Health Sciences

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Mercy College of Health Sciences side by side →

Colleges near Mercy College of Health Sciences

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.