Quad

Head-to-head

Mount Mercy
Mount Saint Mary

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Mount Mercy's yield is 21 pts higher than Mount Saint Mary's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Mount Mercy costs about $9.9K less per year on average than Mount Saint Mary ($25,265 vs. $35,207, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Mount Mercy's grants cover 55% of its full price on average, vs. 44% at Mount Saint Mary

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Mount Saint Mary has 8 pts more first-gen students than Mount Mercy (37% vs. 29%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    Mount Saint Mary grads earn $6.9K more ten years out than Mount Mercy's ($67,705 vs. $60,787)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Mount Mercy has 4 pts more Pell recipients than Mount Saint Mary (27% vs. 22%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

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

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Mount Mercy admits 83%, Mount Saint Mary 89%; Mount Mercy's yield is higher, at 28%.

Acceptance rate
Mount Mercy83%
Mount Saint Mary89%
Quad's selectivity
  • Mount MercyAccessible
  • Mount Saint MaryOpen
ACT middle 50%Axis 15–36
Mount MercyNot reported
Mount Saint Mary
19–28
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Mount MercyGPA and school record required
  • Mount Saint MaryGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Mount Mercy and Mount Saint Mary are about the same size; Mount Mercy has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Mount Mercy1.1K
Mount Saint Mary1.1K
Pell Grant share
Mount Mercy27%
Mount Saint Mary22%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at both; Mount Saint Mary has 12 students per faculty member to Mount Mercy's 14.

Students per faculty member
Mount Mercy14 to 1
Mount Saint Mary12 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Mount MercyRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse24%
  • Mount Saint MaryRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse41%

What each costs

Mount Mercy costs about $9.9K less a year than Mount Saint Mary on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Mount Mercy$25.3K
Mount Saint Mary$35.2K
Aid generosity
Mount Mercy55%
Mount Saint Mary44%

What each pays off

Mount Saint Mary's former students earn more, a median $67.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Mount Mercy$60.8K
Mount Saint Mary$67.7K
Graduation rate
Mount Mercy62%
Mount Saint Mary62%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Mount Mercy but fell at Mount Saint Mary; Mount Mercy got less selective while Mount Saint Mary held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Mount MercyGrowing+50%
  • Mount Saint MaryShrinking−14%
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