Quad

Head-to-head

Mercer
U. the Pacific

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. the Pacific grads earn $20.1K more ten years out than Mercer's ($78,445 vs. $58,354)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Mercer costs about $10.6K less per year on average than U. the Pacific ($25,708 vs. $36,312, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    U. the Pacific's SAT midpoint is 77 points higher than Mercer's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    U. the Pacific graduates 8 pts more of its students than Mercer (75% vs. 67%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    U. the Pacific has 7 pts more first-gen students than Mercer (35% vs. 28%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    U. the Pacific is more diverse (index 0.77 vs. 0.71)

    Diversity index

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Mercer admits 69%, U. the Pacific 71%; U. the Pacific's yield is higher, at 14%.

Acceptance rate
Mercer69%
U. the Pacific71%
Quad's selectivity
  • MercerSelective
  • U. the PacificSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Mercer
1160–1350
U. the Pacific
1183–1480
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • MercerGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • U. the PacificGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Mercer is a bit larger than U. the Pacific (4,500 vs. 3,204 undergrads); U. the Pacific has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Mercer4.5K
U. the Pacific3.2K
Pell Grant share
Mercer35%
U. the Pacific36%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at Mercer, and Biology/Biological Sciences at U. the Pacific; Mercer has 11 students per faculty member to U. the Pacific's 13.

Students per faculty member
Mercer11 to 1
U. the Pacific13 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • MercerRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse14%
  • U. the PacificBiology/Biological Sciences, General19%

What each costs

Mercer costs about $10.6K less a year than U. the Pacific on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Mercer$25.7K
U. the Pacific$36.3K
Aid generosity
Mercer57%
U. the Pacific53%

What each pays off

U. the Pacific's former students earn more, a median $78.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Mercer$58.4K
U. the Pacific$78.4K
Graduation rate
Mercer67%
U. the Pacific75%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Mercer but fell at U. the Pacific; U. the Pacific got less selective while Mercer held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • MercerGrowing+124%
  • U. the PacificShrinking−49%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why