Quad

Head-to-head

Northwest
Mount Mercy

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northwest has 8 pts more first-gen students than Mount Mercy (36% vs. 29%)

    First-generation students
  2. 2

    Mount Mercy has 1.7× as many undergrads as Northwest

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    Mount Mercy grads earn $5.9K more ten years out than Northwest's ($60,787 vs. $54,914)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Northwest graduates 4 pts more of its students than Mount Mercy (66% vs. 62%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Mount Mercy's grants cover 55% of its full price on average, vs. 51% at Northwest

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    Mount Mercy is more diverse (index 0.65 vs. 0.62)

    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

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

Who's hardest to get into

Mount Mercy admits 83%, Northwest 83%; Northwest's yield is higher, at 31%.

Acceptance rate
Northwest83%
Mount Mercy83%
Quad's selectivity
  • NorthwestAccessible
  • Mount MercyAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Northwest
1040–1350
Mount MercyNot reported
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • NorthwestGPA and school record required
  • Mount MercyGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Mount Mercy has 1.7× as many undergrads as Northwest and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Northwest645
Mount Mercy1.1K
Pell Grant share
Northwest25%
Mount Mercy27%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at both; Northwest has 9 students per faculty member to Mount Mercy's 14.

Students per faculty member
Northwest9 to 1
Mount Mercy14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • NorthwestRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse21%
  • Mount MercyRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse24%

What each costs

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

Average cost, all students
Northwest$24.8K
Mount Mercy$25.3K
Aid generosity
Northwest51%
Mount Mercy55%

What each pays off

Mount Mercy's former students earn more, a median $60.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Northwest$54.9K
Mount Mercy$60.8K
Graduation rate
Northwest66%
Mount Mercy62%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Northwest got more selective while Mount Mercy got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • NorthwestGrowing+35%
  • Mount MercyGrowing+50%
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