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.
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
More selective than 4% · #27 most selective of 28 in Iowa
Higher than 6%
Higher than 70% · #14 of 30 in Iowa
Higher than 28%
Higher than 72% · #6 of 31 in Iowa
Cheaper than 24% · #26 cheapest of 29 in Iowa
Lower than 91%
Lower than 92%
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
- Undergraduate867100%
- Graduate20%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Des Moines Intl AP, IA US station (4.4 mi from campus).
What Mercy College of Health Sciences graduates study — and earn
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 →
St. Thomas Aquinas College
Sparkill, New York · Large suburb · 23 mi to New York
- Students
- 972
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1000
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $63k
Rockford University
Rockford, Illinois · Midsize city · 4 mi to Rockford
- Students
- 972
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 956
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $55k
Mercy College of Ohio
Toledo, Ohio · Large city · 1 mi to Toledo
- Students
- 939
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 947
- GPA
- 2.7
- Earnings
- $65k
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, Kansas · Fringe town · 22 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 925
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1029
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $59k
University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana · Large city · 2 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 1,567
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 981
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $55k
Spalding University
Louisville, Kentucky · Large city · 1 mi to Louisville
- Students
- 583
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 977
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $49k
Colleges near Mercy College of Health Sciences
UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic Technology
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 16 students
Drake University
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,543 students
Grand View University
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,486 students
Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines
Des Moines, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 74 students
Body Wisdom Massage Therapy School
Urbandale, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 45 students
La James International College-Johnston
Johnston, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 141 students
Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, IA · Public · Certificate · 10,446 students
Aveda Institute-Des Moines
West Des Moines, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 244 students
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.











