Mount Mercy University
Private College in Cedar Rapids, IA. Six-year graduation rate 58%. Median 10-year earnings $60,787.
Ten-year median earnings of $60,787 are the headline number here, and they are strong ones. 58% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates carry a median of $23,699 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
83% of applicants get in, so the odds favor most reasonably prepared students. The applicant pool is small at 1,041, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. 28% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | 3 (1%) |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | 4 (2%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Mount Mercy University →Academics
58% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. Retention of 73% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. A 14:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. This is a private nonprofit four-year college, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,106 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $24,347 annually once grants are applied. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $17,070 at the $0–30k band to $25,244 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 93% of students receive it, averaging $27,661. Most students borrow — 57% take federal loans to cover the gap.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 202 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,070 |
| $30–48k | $15,294 |
| $48–75k | $16,883 |
| $75–110k | $20,311 |
| $110k+ | $25,244 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 633 of these 1,106 students, totalling $5,367,741 — an average of $8,480 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Linn County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)