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Des Moines Area Community College: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

286 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
23% Student Loan Default Rate

Des Moines Area Community College is a public institution in Ankeny, Iowa enrolling 10,446 undergraduates. It has an on-time graduation rate of 39%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,375 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 27%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Des Moines Area Community College Ranked?

Des Moines Area Community College ranks #1,375 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 27%.

#1,375 Best Colleges in Nation
#30 Best Colleges in IA
Des Moines Area Community College ranking badge

2027 Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

Des Moines Area Community College was awarded 286 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

DMACC is ranked #1,375 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list.

Within the state, DMACC holds the #30 spot on the Best Colleges in Iowa ranking.

See all of the rankings for Des Moines Area Community College.

Is It Hard to Get Into Des Moines Area Community College?

Acceptance Rate

Learn more about Des Moines Area Community College admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Des Moines Area Community College?

21 to 1 Student to Faculty
99% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at Des Moines Area Community College is 21 to 1, which is high when compared to the national average of 15 to 1. This may indicate that some of your classes will be larger in size than they would be at other schools. However, upper level classes will probably be smaller.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Des Moines Area Community College is 99%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  99 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Des Moines Area Community College?

63% Freshmen Retention
39% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Des Moines Area Community College is 63%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  63 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At DMACC the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 39%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  39 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Des Moines Area Community College.

How Diverse Is Des Moines Area Community College?

10,446 Undergraduate Students
22.5% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
54.9% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 10,446 undergraduates at DMACC.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Des Moines Area Community College.

How Much Does Des Moines Area Community College Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
11% Take Out Loans
$21,420 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of DMACC is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for DMACC

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$9,132 $9,175 $11,130 $13,455 $15,534

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of DMACC, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At DMACC, approximately 11% of students took out student loans averaging $5,355 a year. That adds up to $21,420 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 22.6%. This is significantly higher than the national default rate of 10.1%, which means you could have trouble paying back your student loans if you take any out. Get more details about paying for Des Moines Area Community College.

How Much Do Des Moines Area Community C Graduates Earn?

$41,018 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Des Moines Area Community College make about $41,018 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. Unfortunately, this is 17% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more. Average Salary for Des Moines Area Community College Graduates

See which majors at Des Moines Area Community College make the most money.

Where Is Des Moines Area Community College Located?

Iowa State
10,446 Undergraduate Students
Suburb Campus Setting

Des Moines Area Community College is a public institution found in Ankeny, Iowa. Ankeny is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs. Get more details about the location of Des Moines Area Community College.

Location of Des Moines Area Community College

Contact information for Des Moines Area Community College are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: 2006 Ankeny Blvd, Ankeny, IA 50023-3993
Phone: 5159646200
Website: www.dmacc.edu

What Majors Does Des Moines Area Community College Offer?

29 Majors With Completions
12,348 Undergraduate Degrees

In the most recent reporting year, students from 29 majors graduated from Des Moines Area Community College. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 6,174 NA
Nursing & Nursing Assistants 1,748 NA
Liberal Arts General Studies 834 $28,831
Precision Metal Working 523 $31,230
Homeland Security 302 NA
Computer Programming 271 NA
Allied Health Professions 227 $41,161
Heavy Equipment Maintenance 222 NA
Vehicle Maintenance & Repair 186 $41,813
Nursing 175 $51,457

Learn more about the majors offered at Des Moines Area Community College along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does DMACC Offer Online Classes?

100% Take At Least One Class Online
53% Take All Classes Online

10,414 students took at least one online class at Des Moines Area Community College.

Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.

Learn more about online learning at Des Moines Area Community College.

Interested in comparing DMACC? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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