Private nonprofit · University

University of Detroit Mercy

Detroit, Michigan · Large city

75.4%
Admit rate
$15,232
Avg net price
67%
Graduation rate
$71,030
Median earnings

University of Detroit Mercy is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Detroit, Michigan (large city setting), enrolling 2,438 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,438 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 75% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Detroit Mercy's admitted students.

Admit rate
75.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1030–1260
Avg GPA (est.)
3.27

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Detroit Mercy's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Detroit Mercy's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Paleo-Indians inhabited areas near Detroit as early as 11,000 years ago including the culture referred to as the Mound Builders. By the 17th century, the region was inhabited by Huron, Odawa, Potawatomi, and Iroquois peoples. The most heavily represented sectors are manufacturing (particularly automotive), finance, technology, and health care. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
7 miles to Detroit, MI
To Great Lakes shore
8 miles
Nearest airport
18 miles to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) · major hub

How University of Detroit Mercy compares

Selectivity75.4%

More selective than 54% · #18 most selective of 43 in Michigan

SAT average1134

Higher than 41%

Graduation rate67%

Higher than 73% · #12 of 44 in Michigan

First-year retention83%

Higher than 71%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$71,030

Higher than 84% · #6 of 45 in Michigan

Average net price$15,232

Cheaper than 72% · #16 cheapest of 44 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$23,250

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,438

Larger than 63%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,603students
  • Undergraduate2,43853%
  • Graduate2,16547%

Undergraduates by gender

2,438undergrads
  • Women1,65768%
  • Men78132%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White58%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic8.7%
  • Asian7.3%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,438
Graduate enrollment
2,165
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$43,983
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$96,597
Endowment
$108,570,110

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 552 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Michigan85%
  • Other U.S. states5.1%
  • International9.6%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Detroit Mercy draws overwhelmingly from Michigan.

10% 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
75.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1030–1260
SAT average
1134
SAT reading
520–630
SAT math
510–630
ACT composite
22–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.27

Cost

In-state tuition
$32,946
Room & board
$10,952
Books & supplies
$1,422
Total cost of attendance
$42,211
Average net price
$15,232

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)
67%
Graduated on time (4 years)
53%
First-year retention
83%
Transferred to another college
23%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$64,534
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$71,030
Median debt at graduation
$23,250
Students with federal loans
26%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
60%

About 14% 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)

All students
53%
Low-income (Pell)
54%
First-generation
59%

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
965
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
40%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
437 (218 men · 219 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)184
Lacrosse81
Soccer74
Basketball33
Softball31
Golf20
Fencing14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (5,587 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.

4.0reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
2.7
Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.7

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
$13,088
$30–48k
$11,290
$48–75k
$14,173
$75–110k
$15,584
$110k+
$21,691

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
$61,181

$14,173/year × about 4.3 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
$17,626
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from University of Detroit Mercy itself, averaging $17,626, 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 491 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)
$71,030
Typical debt at graduation
$23,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
33%
Out-earn a HS grad
76%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 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
$68,616
Men
$78,359

Men out-earn women by $9,743 (14%) 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
84°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
34.9″
Annual snow
30.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.93.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dearborn #2, MI US station (5 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 University of Detroit Mercy

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

Colleges near University of Detroit Mercy

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.