Mount Mercy University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It enrolls 1,107 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
63/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes42
Value62
Affordability42
Selectivity38
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 82.5%, Mount Mercy University is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
82.5%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Mount Mercy University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
12.8 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Mount Mercy University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $20,168 per year. That's in line with the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$20,168
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
27%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
53%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$40,878
Room & Board (on-campus)
$11,600
Room & Board (off-campus)
$10,000
Books & Supplies
$1,200
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$10,300
Total Cost of Attendance
$55,054
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$17,070
$30,001 – $48,000
$15,294
$48,001 – $75,000
$16,883
$75,001 – $110,000
$20,311
Over $110,000
$25,244
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,00010%percentile
$8,83025%percentile
$23,699Medianpercentile
$26,00075%percentile
$33,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $19,000
↓ $4,699
No Pell $17,602
↓ $6,097
Dependent students $17,454
↓ $6,245
Independent students $20,000
↓ $3,699
Female students $18,896
↓ $4,803
Male students $17,750
↓ $5,949
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,500, less than completers ($23,699), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
72% of full-time students who enrolled at Mount Mercy University graduate within six years, and 71% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
72%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
71%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Mount Mercy University earn a median of $60,787 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$60,787
Earning > $25K
90%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$45,800
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$55,300
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$48,800
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$48,900
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$47,900
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $9,500, about 17% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
12.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 88% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Mount Mercy University is home to 1,107 students, a small, close-knit community.
Total Enrolled
1,107
Part-Time
3%
First-Generation
29%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 55.9%619
International 12.3%136
Other 10.2%113
Hispanic 7.7%85
Black 5.7%63
Asian 2.2%24
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Mount Mercy University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Midsize CityCedar Rapids, Iowa
Housing
Mostly residential553 beds on campus
Adult Learners
17%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
4-1-4 Planscheduling structure
Designation
Religiously affiliated
What You Can Study
Mount Mercy University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
54 distinct programs across
18 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Mount Mercy University is 13:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
13:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$85M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$59,324
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
71 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
16
23%
$73,198
Associate Professors
17
24%
$65,194
Assistant Professors
35
49%
$52,151
Lecturers
3
4%
$35,758
Pros & Cons of Mount Mercy University
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Mount Mercy University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Reasonable class sizes
Tight-knit, close community feel
Above-average graduation rate
Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Modest first-year retention
Best for:
Based on the data, Mount Mercy University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mount Mercy University
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Mount Mercy University.
Is Mount Mercy University hard to get into?
Mount Mercy University has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 82.5%.
What is the acceptance rate at Mount Mercy University?
Mount Mercy University has an acceptance rate of 82.5%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Mount Mercy University cost?
The average net price after aid at Mount Mercy University is $20,168 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Mount Mercy University worth it?
Solid return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $60,787 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $20,168 per year. That's roughly 3.0x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Mount Mercy University known for?
Mount Mercy University is best known for its programs in Nursing, Business Administration, Teacher Education (K-12). These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Mount Mercy University graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Mount Mercy University are $60,787, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Mount Mercy University accredited?
Yes. Mount Mercy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Mount Mercy University?
Mount Mercy University enrolls 1,107 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Mount Mercy University?
Mount Mercy University graduates 72% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Mount Mercy University a public or private college?
Mount Mercy University is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Mount Mercy University located?
Mount Mercy University is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
What programs does Mount Mercy University offer?
Mount Mercy University offers 54 distinct programs. The most popular include Nursing, Business Administration, Teacher Education (K-12).
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Mount Mercy University?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Mount Mercy University is 13:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Iowa
Other colleges in Iowa share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Teacher Education (K-12)
Teaching Specific Subjects
Finance
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
