Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of Detroit Mercy

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

CompareOfficial site
Detroit, Michigan2,438 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 33Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentUrban campus

The short answer

University of Detroit Mercy: U.S. News ranks it #183 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #282 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #726 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #43 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #313 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 2,438 undergraduates, admits 75.4% of applicants, and posts a 67.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $32,946; aid recipients pay $15,232 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $71,030.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
75.4%

About the dataset median

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

Average net price
$15,232

65% below the $43,898 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
$71,030

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
67.2%

Above the dataset median of 56%

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

Median debt at graduation
$23,250

About the dataset median

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

SAT middle 50%
1030–1260

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Detroit 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 News2026National Universities#183of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#282of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#726of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#43of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B+#313of 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: Detroit Mercy's position moves 48 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 Detroit Mercy

University of Detroit Mercy is a private nonprofit institution in Detroit, Michigan. Federal data show 83.5% first-year retention and a 12:1 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 $15,232 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 $43,898 sticker cost against $15,232 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 University of Detroit Mercy 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
$32,946

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

Undergraduates on Pell grants
26.3%

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

Room & board
$10,952

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $43,898 a year, but the average family pays $15,232 — a 65% difference. 26.3% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Detroit 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
    12:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    83.5%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    2,438

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

    Detroit Mercy: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $32,946 and on-campus room and board is $10,952, for a published total of $43,898 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $15,232.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 75.4%. 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.

    Drake University

    Des Moines, IAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Drake University: U.S. News ranks it #183 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #287 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #395 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #154 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #251 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 2,543 undergraduates, admits 63.8% of applicants, and posts a 74.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $52,130; aid recipients pay $29,127 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $71,901.

    Acceptance rate
    63.8%
    Average net price
    $29,127
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $71,901
    6-yr graduation rate
    74.0%
    US News · National universities#183 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#287 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#395 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    2,543 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Illinois Institute of Technology

    Chicago, ILPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Illinois Institute of Technology: U.S. News ranks it #117 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #171 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #451 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #153 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #159 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #22 College City Gets High Marks; QS ranks it #594 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 2,833 undergraduates, admits 54.9% of applicants, and posts a 75.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $52,386; aid recipients pay $18,425 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $82,592.

    Acceptance rate
    54.9%
    Average net price
    $18,425
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $82,592
    6-yr graduation rate
    75.2%
    US News · National universities#117 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#171 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#451 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    2,833 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 28 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Bradley University

    Peoria, ILPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Bradley University: U.S. News ranks it #183 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #305 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #849 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #118 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #526 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,574 undergraduates, admits 76.8% of applicants, and posts a 76.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $42,160; aid recipients pay $22,719 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $66,852.

    Acceptance rate
    76.8%
    Average net price
    $22,719
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $66,852
    6-yr graduation rate
    76.2%
    US News · National universities#183 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#305 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#849 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    3,574 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 41 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Detroit Mercy against these