by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview lays out the cost of attending Des Moines Area Community College, spanning what it costs to attend, projected costs over a degree, net price, debt outcomes, and aid equity.
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The total cost of attendance at Des Moines Area Community College came in between $15,664.00 and up to $16,564.00 depending on your residency status.
The lower figure reflects the in-state rate and the higher figure the out-of-state rate: roughly $15,664.00 in-state, rising to $16,564.00 out of state.
Cost is shown below as the full sticker price, the average net price after aid, and the low-income net price.
| Tuition and fees | $5,790.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $9,874.00 |
| Total cost | $15,664.00 |
| That is 19% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $15,664.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$5,033.00 |
| Net price | $10,631.00 |
| That is 45% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $15,664.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$7,072.00 |
| Net price | $8,592.00 |
| That is 55% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $6,690.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $9,874.00 |
| Total cost | $16,564.00 |
| That is 14% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $16,564.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$5,033.00 |
| Net price | $11,531.00 |
| That is 40% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $16,564.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$7,072.00 |
| Net price | $9,492.00 |
| That is 51% below the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with tuition and fees and room and board. |
Below, a full degree is projected forward at today’s cost. The projections below run a full degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and the full sticker price. Loan math assumes ten-year repayment at 6.8% interest.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Freshman year | $8,592.00 | $10,631.00 | $15,664.00 |
| Senior year | $8,592.00 | $10,631.00 | $15,664.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $34,368.00 | $42,524.00 | $62,656.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $13,093.00 | $16,200.00 | $23,870.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $396.00 | $489.00 | $721.00 |
| Total amount paid | $47,461.00 | $58,724.00 | $86,526.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Freshman year | $8,592.00 | $10,631.00 | $15,664.00 |
| Senior year | $8,592.00 | $10,631.00 | $15,664.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $17,184.00 | $21,262.00 | $31,328.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $6,546.00 | $8,100.00 | $11,935.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $198.00 | $245.00 | $361.00 |
| Total amount paid | $23,730.00 | $29,362.00 | $43,263.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Freshman year | $9,492.00 | $11,531.00 | $16,564.00 |
| Senior year | $9,492.00 | $11,531.00 | $16,564.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $37,968.00 | $46,124.00 | $66,256.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $14,464.00 | $17,572.00 | $25,241.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $437.00 | $531.00 | $762.00 |
| Total amount paid | $52,432.00 | $63,696.00 | $91,497.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Freshman year | $9,492.00 | $11,531.00 | $16,564.00 |
| Senior year | $9,492.00 | $11,531.00 | $16,564.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $18,984.00 | $23,062.00 | $33,128.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $7,232.00 | $8,786.00 | $12,621.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $218.00 | $265.00 | $381.00 |
| Total amount paid | $26,216.00 | $31,848.00 | $45,749.00 |
| See the full net-price breakdown in the net-price section. |
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. For most families it is a more realistic figure than the published cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $11,171.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $11,050.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. Below, average net price is broken out by family income:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $9,302.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $9,309.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $10,794.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $13,631.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $14,269.00 |
Estimate your specific net price using the school’s Des Moines Area Community College Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
For the grant-and-scholarship detail behind these figures, see the grants & scholarships detail.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of Des Moines Area Community College is $6,500.00, landing it in the Very Low (<$10k) debt-load classification.
Across borrowers, debt at graduation distributes like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $1,750.00 |
| 25th | $3,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $6,500.00 |
| 75th | $11,500.00 |
| 90th | $21,094.00 |
The 10th-to-90th-percentile spread is one signal of how variable debt outcomes are across the student body.
Dig deeper into debt on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Debt outcomes vary substantially with family income. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,500.00 |
| Middle income | $6,361.00 |
| High income | $5,500.00 |
On average, low-income graduates leave with $2,000.00 more than graduates from high-income families.
First-generation college students often carry different debt loads than their continuing-generation peers.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,441.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500.00 |
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. Looking at Pell recipients versus non-recipients tells us how debt is distributed across need.
The median debt difference between Pell-eligible and non-Pell graduates of Des Moines Area Community College is $1,750.00. The Department of Education flags this school for a Pell-debt-inequity pattern.
The federal default-rate tier for Des Moines Area Community College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 22.6% |
For scale, federal Stafford loan disbursements at Des Moines Area Community College total $600,818,722.00 over 53,514 disbursements.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 155 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $3,085.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 54 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,047.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veteran aid breakdown.
The figures above are a starting point — as you weigh Des Moines Area Community College, a few questions are worth asking:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.