Best Health Science Schools Near Urbandale, IA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Urbandale, Iowa has 5 accredited schools offering health science programs, with tuition ranging from $47,656 to $61,227 per year for indexed programs. Urbandale has a population of about 46,026. Median household income is $113,086 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, the top-earning health science-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $101,550 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Health Science Schools to Urbandale

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer health science programs near Urbandale, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Urbandale city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Urbandale. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center

West Des Moines, IA 7.0 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Drake University

Des Moines, IA 7.2 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,901
Avg net price $29,127/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Mercy College of Health Sciences

Des Moines, IA 8.6 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
58.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,234
Avg net price $26,924/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Simpson College

Indianola, IA 22.0 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
64.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 86%
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,274
Avg net price $21,936/yr
Tuition
In‑state$47,656
Out‑of‑state$47,656
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Graceland University-Lamoni

Lamoni, IA 71.1 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,361
Avg net price $18,504/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA 90.9 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
68.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,177
Avg net price $15,901/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,936
Out‑of‑state$21,712
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 116

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Allen College

Waterloo, IA 96.2 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
93.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,261
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Wartburg College

Waverly, IA 100.4 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,201
Avg net price $32,908/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa health science page.

Health Science Wages Near Urbandale

Urbandale is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area (BLS area code 19780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical and Health Services Manager $101,550 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $110,742
Health Education Specialist $75,750 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $82,606
Health Information Technologist $86,790 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $94,646
Health Technologist and Technician $49,960 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $54,482

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Urbandale at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 46,026 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $113,086 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 51.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 91.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Urbandale-Area Cities With Health Science Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited health science schools are near Urbandale, IA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering health science programs near Urbandale. The closest is Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center in West Des Moines, IA (7.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Graceland University-Lamoni (71.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying health science roles near Urbandale?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying health science-related roles near Urbandale are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($101,550), Health Information Technologist ($86,790), Health Education Specialist ($75,750). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnston instead of Urbandale?

Johnston, IA is 4.6 miles from Urbandale and has its own set of local health science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Urbandale an affordable place to study health science?

Urbandale’s median household income of $113,086 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Urbandale while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Health Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Urbandale

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Urbandale:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Health Science Schools in Iowa: Online Programs (2026)