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Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training SchoolFort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School · Photo: Larry Day, Photographer · Public domain
Colleges in and near Des Moines

Des Moines is home to three colleges, with 6,284 students on campus

Drake University (4,094 students on campus) and Grand View University (1,522) are inside the city. About 6% of Des Moines’ residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Iowa (6%).

Drake UniversityGrand View University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Des Moines. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
7
28,187 students on campus
Nearest college
1.7 mi
Mercy College of Health Sciences
Residents in college
6%
About the same as IA (6%)
Nearest community college
9.3 mi
Des Moines Area · $5,790 tuition
Nearest public university
31.4 mi
Iowa State · $10,787 in-state
Median household income
$66K
prices below start here

What stands out about college in Des Moines

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

Two colleges within 3.3 milesDrake University admits 64% of applicants; Grand View University admits 99%. Together they have 5,616 students on campus.A community college 9.3 miles awayDes Moines Area Community College in Ankeny: tuition and fees $5,790 a year for Iowa residents.In-state price at Iowa StateLiving in Iowa, Iowa State University charges $10,787 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $28,881. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 6% of residentsAbout the same as Iowa (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Des Moines

Six private colleges within 14.5 miles, and Des Moines Area Community College 9.3 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, Iowa State University, is 31.4 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miDes Moines AreaDrake UniversityGrand View UniversityDes Moines
University or collegeCommunity college
Mercy College of Health SciencesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 668 on campus · In Des Moines100%admitted$27knet price66%graduate$62kearningsDrake UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 4,094 on campus · In Des Moines64%admitted$29knet price74%graduate$72kearningsGrand View UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,522 on campus · In Des Moines99%admitted$22knet price54%graduate$53kearningsDes Moines Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 18,993 on campus · 9.3 mi · Ankeny$11knet price39%graduate$41kearningsTuition and fees: $5,790 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical CenterUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,412 on campus · 10.9 mi · West Des MoinesGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 396 on campus · 11.4 mi · Ankeny68%admitted$16knet price68%graduate$41kearningsSimpson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,102 on campus · 14.5 mi · Indianola86%admitted$22knet price63%graduate$59kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Des Moines’ median household income ($65,932) falls.

Des Moines Area Community College9.3 mi · Ankeny · sticker $16,204 · tuition $5,790$11,130a year
Iowa State University31.4 mi · Ames · sticker $24,018$15,463a year
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary11.4 mi · Ankeny · sticker $32,722$16,036a year
Simpson College14.5 mi · Indianola · sticker $61,227$19,176a year
Grand View UniversityIn Des Moines · sticker $48,522$20,254a year
Drake UniversityIn Des Moines · sticker $64,835$25,171a year
Mercy College of Health SciencesIn Des Moines · sticker $34,398$29,193a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Drake UniversityGrand View UniversityDes Moines AreaSimpson CollegeIowa State
Iowa State University75% graduate$63k earnings$23k typical debt
Des Moines Area Community College39% graduate$41k earnings$11k typical debt
Drake University74% graduate$72k earnings$23k typical debt
Grand View University54% graduate$53k earnings$22k typical debt
Simpson College63% graduate$59k earnings$26k typical debt
Mercy College of Health Sciences66% graduate$62k earnings$15k typical debt
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary68% graduate$41k earnings$13k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Des Moines

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Des Moines’ 3 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 26%Business 19%Education 6%Communication 5%Biology 4%Social sciences 4%Everything else 36%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMercy College of Health Sciences · 286 graduates a year
$71k4 yrs out
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationDrake University · 63 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsDrake University · 51 graduates a year
$97k4 yrs out
MarketingDrake University · 49 graduates a year
$71k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessGrand View University · 46 graduates a year
$55k4 yrs out
Psychology, GeneralDrake University · 41 graduates a year
$48k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingGrand View University · 41 graduates a year
$73k4 yrs out
JournalismDrake University · 37 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Des Moines

Is Des Moines a college town?

No. About 6 of every 100 Des Moines residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Iowa (6). The largest campus in the city, Drake University, has 4,094 students on campus.

What colleges are in Des Moines?

Drake University, Grand View University and Mercy College of Health Sciences are inside the city. Des Moines Area Community College is 9.3 miles away in Ankeny.

What is the closest community college to Des Moines, and what does it cost?

Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, 9.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,790 a year for Iowa residents; the federal net price, $11,171, counts housing and food at full cost.

How much does Iowa State University cost if we live in Iowa?

Tuition and fees are $10,787 a year in-state and $28,881 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,582 (under $30,000 income) to $22,496 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Des Moines. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →