Quad

Head-to-head

Mercy
Aurora

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Aurora graduates 10 pts more of its students than Mercy (67% vs. 57%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Aurora grads earn $6.7K more ten years out than Mercy's ($58,709 vs. $52,055)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Aurora's grants cover 47% of its full price on average, vs. 41% at Mercy

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Mercy has 5 pts more Pell recipients than Aurora (50% vs. 45%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    Mercy is a bit larger (5,735 vs. 3,974)

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    Aurora has 4 pts more first-gen students than Mercy (46% vs. 42%)

    First-generation students

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

Aurora admits 82%, Mercy 86%; Aurora's yield is higher, at 17%.

Acceptance rate
Mercy86%
Aurora82%
Quad's selectivity
  • MercyAccessible
  • AuroraOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
MercyTest-blind
Aurora
875–1078
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • MercyGPA and school record required
  • AuroraRigor and GPA very important33%

Who's on each campus

Mercy is a bit larger than Aurora (5,735 vs. 3,974 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Mercy5.7K
Aurora4K
Pell Grant share
Mercy50%
Aurora45%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at Mercy, and Social Work at Aurora; Mercy has 16 students per faculty member to Aurora's 18.

Students per faculty member
Mercy16 to 1
Aurora18 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • MercyRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse26%
  • AuroraSocial Work13%

What each costs

Mercy and Aurora cost about the same a year on average; Aurora's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Mercy$25K
Aurora$24.5K
Aid generosity
Mercy41%
Aurora47%

What each pays off

Aurora's former students earn more, a median $58.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Mercy$52.1K
Aurora$58.7K
Graduation rate
Mercy57%
Aurora67%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Mercy got less selective while Aurora held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • MercyGrowing+51%
  • AuroraGrowing+132%
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 2018;Aurora University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Aurora University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About 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