Private nonprofit · University

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa · Midsize city

82.5%
Admit rate
$20,168
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$60,787
Median earnings

Mount Mercy University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,107 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,107 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 83% admitNAIA Division ICold wintersSnowy

About Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and the county seat. The location of present-day Cedar Rapids was in the territory of the Meskwaki and Sauk peoples at the time of European American settlement. Cedar Rapids is home to Orchestra Iowa, the Paramount Theatre, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, McGrath Amphitheatre, and Brucemore, a National Trust Historic Site. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
197 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to The Eastern Iowa (CID)

How Mount Mercy University compares

Selectivity82.5%

More selective than 40% · #17 most selective of 28 in Iowa

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 57% · #20 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention73%

Higher than 39%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$60,787

Higher than 69% · #7 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$20,168

Cheaper than 49% · #10 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$23,699

Lower than 47%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,107

Larger than 40%

Percentiles compare Mount Mercy University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,385students
  • Undergraduate1,10780%
  • Graduate27820%

Undergraduates by gender

1,107undergrads
  • Women79472%
  • Men31328%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White56%
  • Black5.7%
  • Hispanic7.7%
  • Asian2.2%
  • Other or multiracial29%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,107
Graduate enrollment
278
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
17%
Median family income
$50,312
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$61,335
Endowment
$43,902,317

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
82.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$40,878
Room & board
$11,600
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$55,054
Average net price
$20,168

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)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
54%
First-year retention
73%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$52,871
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$60,787
Median debt at graduation
$23,699
Students with federal loans
53%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
67%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
54%
Low-income (Pell)
64%
First-generation
62%

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
553
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
50%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
705 (358 men · 347 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 (12)

Soccer128
Basketball88
Track and Field (Indoor)77
Volleyball76
Track and Field (Outdoor)66
Baseball63
Bowling52
Golf39
Softball37
Other Sports29
Cross Country28
Lacrosse22

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,417 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
0.3

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.

< $30k
$17,070
$30–48k
$15,294
$48–75k
$16,883
$75–110k
$20,311
$110k+
$25,244

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.

Est. total to a degree
$69,001

$16,883/year × about 4.1 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$25,446
average award, among those who get one

Mount Mercy University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $25,446. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 221 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)
$60,787
Typical debt at graduation
$23,699
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
80%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$59,373
Men
$64,260

Men out-earn women by $4,887 (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
12°F
Annual rain
38.8″
Annual snow
34.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cedar Rapids #1, IA US station (4.6 mi from campus).

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 Mount Mercy University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Mount Mercy University side by side →

Colleges near Mount Mercy University

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.