Private nonprofit · University
Mercy University
Dobbs Ferry, New York · Large suburb
- 85.8%
- Admit rate
- $14,072
- Avg net price
- 46%
- Graduation rate
- $52,055
- Median earnings
Mercy University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Dobbs Ferry, New York (large suburb setting), enrolling 5,735 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
About Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The most recent tribe who claimed territory of the area are the Wecquaesgeek, maintaining villages until the 1600s. Numerous artifacts from the tribe continue to be found along Wicker's Creek in oyster middens. In 2018 Brooke Lea Foster of The New York Times stated that it was one of several "Rivertowns" in New York State, which she described as among the "least suburban of suburbs, each one celebrated by buyers there for its culture and hip factor, as much as the housing stock and sophisticated post-city life." Of those, Foster stated that Dobbs Ferry had the most ethnic/cultural diversity. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 22 miles to New York, NY
- To the ocean
- < 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Westchester County (HPN)
How Mercy University compares
More selective than 34% · #107 most selective of 137 in New York
Higher than 31% · #120 of 159 in New York
Higher than 48%
Higher than 44% · #98 of 133 in New York
Cheaper than 77% · #55 cheapest of 153 in New York
Lower than 76%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 80%
Percentiles compare Mercy University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate5,73572%
- Graduate2,21728%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women4,04170%
- Men1,69430%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White15%
- Black26%
- Hispanic49%
- Asian4.4%
- Other or multiracial6.3%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,735
- Graduate enrollment
- 2,217
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 50%
- First-generation students
- 42%
- Students over 25
- 25%
- Median family income
- $27,174
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $86,166
- Endowment
- $336,521,742
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,165 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New York91%
- Other U.S. states6.8%
- International1.7%
Most first-years stay in state — Mercy University draws overwhelmingly from New York.
2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 85.8%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $22,880
- Room & board
- $15,250
- Books & supplies
- $1,690
- Total cost of attendance
- $32,596
- Average net price
- $14,072
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 46%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 32%
- First-year retention
- 76%
- Transferred to another college
- 27%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $44,969
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $52,055
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,637
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 33%
About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 771
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 13%
- Housing charge (year)
- $10,600
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,100
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 248 (125 men · 123 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (7)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 9
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (8,991 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$15,056/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 98% — get grant money from Mercy University itself, averaging $9,196, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 912 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $52,055
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,637
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 38%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 61%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $4,220 (8%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 23°F
- Annual rain
- 51.2″
- Annual snow
- 32.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley, NY US station (2.3 mi from campus).
What Mercy University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Mercy University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Mercy University side by side →
Niagara University
Niagara University, New York · Large suburb · 19 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 2,653
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1168
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $56k
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
Teaneck, New Jersey · Large suburb · 13 mi to New York
- Students
- 2,627
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $57k
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois · Large city · < 1 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 4,406
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $46k
Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies
Fayette, Missouri · Distant rural · 23 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 2,092
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $49k
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois · Large city · 13 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 3,096
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $59k
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois · Large suburb · 38 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 3,974
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1076
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $59k
Colleges near Mercy University
Westchester School for Medical & Dental Assistants
Ardsley, NY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 67 students
St. Thomas Aquinas College
Sparkill, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 972 students
Cochran School of Nursing
Yonkers, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 117 students
Dominican University New York
Orangeburg, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,105 students
Saint Vladimirs Orthodox Theological Seminary
Yonkers, NY · Private nonprofit · Graduate
The College of Westchester
White Plains, NY · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 759 students
New York School of Esthetics & Day Spa
white plains, NY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 120 students
SUNY Westchester Community College
Valhalla, NY · Public · Associate · 8,078 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












