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Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Mount Mercy University

Students comparing Mount Mercy University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Cedar Rapids, Iowa1,107 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 46Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentUrban campus

The short answer

Mount Mercy University: U.S. News ranks it #60 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1029 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #852 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 1,107 undergraduates, admits 82.5% of applicants, and posts a 57.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $40,878; aid recipients pay $20,168 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,787.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
82.5%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$20,168

62% below the $52,478 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$60,787

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
57.7%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$23,699

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedMount Mercy University did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Mount Mercy ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#60of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1029of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#852of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Mount Mercy's position moves 36 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Mount Mercy

Mount Mercy University is a private nonprofit institution in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Federal data show 72.8% first-year retention and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $20,168 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $52,478 sticker cost against $20,168 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Mount Mercy University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$40,878

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
26.7%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,600

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $52,478 a year, but the average family pays $20,168 — a 62% difference. 26.7% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Mount Mercy's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    13:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    72.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,107

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Mount Mercy: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $40,878 and on-campus room and board is $11,600, for a published total of $52,478 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $20,168.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 82.5%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Coe College

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Coe College: U.S. News ranks it #136 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #715 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #763 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #16 Best Career Services. It enrolls 1,164 undergraduates, admits 64.0% of applicants, and posts a 65.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $54,666; aid recipients pay $18,745 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,125.

    Acceptance rate
    64.0%
    Average net price
    $18,745
    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    US News · Liberal arts colleges#136 of 210Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#715 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#763 of 2,605+2 more on profile

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    North Park University: U.S. News ranks it #73 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #970 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #621 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 1,818 undergraduates, admits 68.5% of applicants, and posts a 57.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $36,710; aid recipients pay $16,948 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $59,572.

    Acceptance rate
    68.5%
    Average net price
    $16,948
    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    6-yr graduation rate
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    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#73 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#970 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#621 of 2,605+1 more on profile

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    Evangel University

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Evangel University: U.S. News ranks it #91 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1020 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #563 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 1,229 undergraduates, admits 71.6% of applicants, and posts a 65.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $28,548; aid recipients pay $18,669 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $46,573.

    Acceptance rate
    71.6%
    Average net price
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    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    6-yr graduation rate
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    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#91 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1020 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#563 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    1,229 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 48 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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