---
title: Des Moines Area Community College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Ankeny, IA
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, IA · Public · Certificate-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $41,018 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $21,828 – $60,028 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $6,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $5,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 39% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $16,204 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 62% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.16× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $13,018 | derived |

**39% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $6,500 (≈ 16% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $23,928 to $51,457 across 25 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Associate's Degree | $51,457 | $15,075 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. | Associate's Degree | $51,133 | not reported |
| Precision Metal Working. | Associate's Degree | $51,059 | not reported |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $48,409 | $9,500 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Associate's Degree | $44,272 | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Associate's Degree | $43,282 | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other. | Associate's Degree | $42,865 | not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians. | Associate's Degree | $41,813 | $8,770 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR). | Associate's Degree | $41,529 | not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $40,759 | $7,500 |
| Agricultural Business and Management. | Associate's Degree | $38,335 | $8,684 |
| Legal Support Services. | Associate's Degree | $37,885 | $8,175 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Associate's Degree | $37,765 | $16,625 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Associate's Degree | $36,664 | $9,750 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $35,933 | $10,265 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Associate's Degree | $35,471 | not reported |
| Carpenters. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $34,614 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Associate's Degree | $33,806 | $10,434 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $33,532 | $5,500 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services. | Associate's Degree | $30,970 | $8,334 |
| Precision Metal Working. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $30,604 | $5,500 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $28,831 | $9,500 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy. | Associate's Degree | $27,625 | $20,503 |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Associate's Degree | $24,286 | $13,000 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Associate's Degree | $23,928 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Des Moines Area Community College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?153214

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/des-moines-area-community-college-ia.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`