Parent Guide
A Message to Parents and Families
Congratulations on guiding your student through the many stages of childhood. Deciding what comes next is a major milestone for your family. It is an exciting time—and often a little overwhelming—for both students and families. Please know this: your student is not navigating this next chapter alone.
DMACC is proud to offer small class sizes and a highly personalized learning environment, while still providing robust student support services. Smaller does not mean fewer resources. In fact, every DMACC student has access to a wide range of academic, personal, career, and safety supports - all included with tuition at no additional cost.
Student Support Services at DMACC
- Every student is assigned a Primary Academic Advisor to help with class selection, degree planning, and program requirements. In addition, Express Advisors are available for quick questions when a primary advisor is not available.
- DMACC’s Academic Achievement Centers offer free, drop‑in tutoring from faculty, along with study support and online tutoring options.
- Students who had a 504 Plan or IEP in high school—or who may benefit from accommodations—can work with Disability Services to support a successful transition to college.
- DMACC counselors are available to support students with personal concerns, mental health needs, or the adjustment to college‑level expectations and workload.
- Career Services helps students explore career options, identify strengths, prepare résumés, practice interviews, and plan next steps beyond DMACC.
- DMACC provides on‑campus security and a campus alert system that notifies students of safety or weather‑related issues. Parents and family members are welcome to sign up for alerts as well.
- Financial Aid advisors are available to meet with students and families to navigate the often complex and changing financial aid process.
A Final Word to Families
Parents, families, and support networks, thank you for trusting us to help your student make this next big step. As your student transitions into this next stage of life, DMACC faculty and staff are here to partner with you by providing encouragement, guidance, and support.
The resources linked on this page offer more details about how to connect with these offices and how we help students succeed.
Erica Spiller
VP, Student Affairs
DMACC
elspiller@dmacc.edu
DMACC Parent Guide
Sending your child to college is a big decision. This guide gives you information about DMACC, step-by-step instructions, and resources to help you guide your child into a successful college experience.
Prepare for College in these 5 Easy Steps
1. APPLY
Complete our free online application. Apply Now!
2. ASSESSMENTS
Assessments are required for some DMACC programs. Check to see if a program requires
assessments by calling the DMACC Admissions Office at 515-965-7337.
3. APPLY FOR DMACC SCHOLARSHIPS
DMACC annually offers more than $2 million in scholarships for qualifying students.
No FAFSA is required and the application process is quick and easy. Scholarship Information
4. APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID
DMACC’s Financial Aid Office is here to help provide the information you will need
to make these important financial decisions about grants, scholarships, work-study,
and low-interest loans. For more information, visit DMACC Financial Aid.
5. ORIENTATION
After your application for admission is accepted and orientation season begins, you
will receive an email with orientation information.
We know you might have some questions in the meantime, and we hope to answers those
for you.
Contact us at Orientation@dmacc.edu or 515-965-7321.
When does Orientation Season Begin?
- Fall - mid-April
- Spring - late-October
- Summer - mid-March
DMACC Degree Options
Whatever Interest Your Student, DMACC Has the Perfect Pathway to Guide Their Future
Advance Your Student's Learning — no matter where they are on your journey! DMACC’s more than 200 programs and learning areas are organized into 10 academic and career-focused pathways. Each student can select the pathway that best represents their interest or career goals below to see all the possibilities. With these programs, they can either graduate and join the workforce, or transfer. To learn more about a pathway, select an icon below.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Within each pathway, a DMACC student can earn the following:
AA: Associate in Arts Degree
An AA is a degree made up of 64 credits students can earn at DMACC with the intent of continuing their education at a four-year college or university. An AA is a relatively inexpensive way to take care of their general education requirements.
AS: Associate in Science Degree
An AS is also a degree made up of 64 credits best suited for students that want to enter a career field after two years but want the option to transfer to a four-year college in a related field.
AAS: Associate in Applied Science Degree
An AAS is a degree made up of 64-86 credits students can earn at DMACC that prepares them to be ready to enter the related market or industry.
Certificate
A Certificate of Specialization has a maximum of 48 credits and can typically be completed in 52 weeks that prepares student to enter the related market or industry. Certificates are not intended to have a general education component.
Diploma
A Diploma has 30-48 credits and can typically be completed in 52 weeks. A diploma prepares students to be ready to enter the related market or industry. Diplomas are primarily discipline specific, with a small amount of general education required.
Nondegree Classes
DMACC also offers nondegree classes through Continuing Education. Continuing education coursework supports a student’s desire to update or learn new
skills, advance in their current job, or renew a professional license.
Transfer Options
DMACC is a great place to start the college pace, and transfer to a four-year institution to complete a Bachelor's Degree. To learn more about classes and degrees that transfer to four year colleges and universities, visit our Transfer Options.
Paying for College
Paying for college is possible! Every student at DMACC should apply for financial aid.
STEP 1: COMPLETE THE FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA)
Go to FAFSA.GOV. DMACC’s federal school code is 004589.
DMACC has no deadline for submitting the FAFSA. However, students should apply as
early as possible because it takes 3–5 weeks to get aid in place. In addition, the
State of Iowa has a deadline of July 1 for most state grants and scholarships.
STEP 2: MAKE SURE YOUR STUDENT CHECKS THEIR DMACC EMAIL!
DMACC may need to request additional information from them before we can finalize
their financial aid offer. Make sure they read communications from the DMACC Financial
Aid Office so they don’t miss important information.
STEP 3: DON’T FORGET TO APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS.
At DMACC, one application does it all! DMACC Foundation Scholarships are awarded
to students every year, and only require one application. Learn more about scholarships, loans, grants, and other financing options.
STEP 4: REVIEW YOUR DMACC FINANCIAL AID PACKAGE
See what your student is eligible to receive. Remember, financial aid includes grants,
loans, scholarships, and work-study—or a combination of all four!
DMACC makes paying easy by accepting the following:
- Credit or Debit Card
- Checks, Money Orders, and Electronic ACH Transfers
- College Savings Plans and 529 Accounts
- Trusts, Scholarships, and 3rd Party Benefits
For more information regarding any of our payment options, email us at mybill@dmacc.edu
Payment Plans
Looking for a tuition payment option that doesn’t involve student loans? Payment plans let you spread out your tuition balance throughout the school year, so you won’t have to worry about a big lump-sum due date at the beginning of each semester. With multiple options available, you can use your payment plan to cover your entire balance or supplement existing financial aid and scholarships to graduate with less debt!
Setting up a payment plan is easy. Our payment system is linked directly to your student’s myDMACC account so you can access its features from anywhere.
Authorized Payers
You can also make it easy to get assistance from anyone helping support your student’s academic journey. Students can set up an Authorized Payer in our payment system and that person will be provided with a login to their own payment account, granting the ability to make payments on the student’s behalf.
Anyone can be set up as an authorized payer, and they will only be given access to view the balance and make a payment. No other academic or personal information is provided.
Quick Reference Guide
|
Admissions Our Admissions representatives at each campus, are excited to help you and your student with each step! Contact the Admissions department if you have questions at 515-965-7337. |
|||
|
Academic Support FREE tutoring at the Academic Achievement Center on each campus. Academic advisors, faculty mentors, and other student support services available. |
|||
|
Advanced Student Academics Explore the possibilities and take education to the next level with Advanced Student Academics.
|
|||
|
Apartment Living
|
|||
|
Bookstore
|
|||
|
Career Exploration Career Exploration program curriculum is guided by business owners and industry executives serving on sector boards.
|
|||
|
Disability Services
|
|||
|
Evening Services Evening Services office provides students with the following:
|
|||
|
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) FERPA is a federal law that gives students rights to their educational records. |
|||
|
Flexible Class Schedules
|
|||
|
Financial Aid
|
|||
|
Intercollegiate Athletics
|
|||
|
Registration Registration information on how and when to register for classes.
|
|||
|
Safety & Security
|
|||
|
Student Accounts Pay your bill, order transcripts, and other financial account information through Student Accounts. |
|||
|
Student Life Get involved. DMACC has a vibrant campus life. |
|||
|
Technical Support DMACC Help Desk assists with IT support and student technical issues. Visit DMACC Technical Support or call 515-965-7300. |
|||
|
Veterans
|
For other services and support available, visit Student Resources.