Clarke University vs. Mount Mercy College

Clarke University vs. Mount Mercy University comparison

	Clarke University	Mount Mercy University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Clarke University	Mount Mercy College
Location	Dubuque, IA	Cedar Rapids, IA
Setting	Small City	Midsize City
Enrollment	1,025	1,451
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#395
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	Roman Catholic	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	clarke.edu	mtmercy.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Clarke University	Mount Mercy College
Tuition (In State)	$38,400	$38,070
Tuition (Out of State)	$38,400	$38,070
Room & Board	$11,000	$11,030
Avg Net Price	$25,692	$23,972
Avg Grant Aid	$27,219	$28,628
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Clarke University	Mount Mercy College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	3,087	1,436
Admitted	2,104	1,131
Acceptance Rate	68.2%	78.8%
Enrolled %	9.5%	18.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.36	3.5
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Unavailable
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	18/26
SAT Range	890/1045
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 15, 2025

Academics	Clarke University	Mount Mercy College
Student to Faculty Ratio	10:1	13:1
Popular Majors	Health Professions (24%) Business (16%) Education (14%) Psychology (9%) Human Services (6%)	Business (44%) Health Professions (22%) Education (10%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%) Psychology (4%)
Outcomes	Clarke University	Mount Mercy College
Graduation Rate	60%	60%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$42,800	$45,900
Making Student Loan Payments	74%	71%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,000	$22,250
Median Loan Payment	$268	$230

Diversity	Clarke University	Mount Mercy College
% Men	5%	6%
% Women	10%	13%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	85%	81%
% Black	4%	7%
% Hispanic	7%	2%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	2%
% International	1%	3%
% Unknown Race	1%	3%

Students	Clarke University	Mount Mercy College
% In-State	30%	60%
% Out-of-State	60%	28%
Campus	Clarke University	Mount Mercy College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Mount Mercy University is larger than than Clarke University based on total student enrollment (1,451 students vs. 1,025 students)

Clarke University vs. Mount Mercy College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Clarke University or Mount Mercy College?

• Clarke University is 0.9% more expensive to attend than Mount Mercy College for in-state tuition ($38,400.00 vs. $38,070.00)
• Out of state tuition is 0.9% higher at Clarke University than Mount Mercy University ($38,400.00 vs. $38,070.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Mount Mercy University than Clarke University ($23,972 vs. $25,692)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Clarke University are 0.3% lower than costs at Mount Mercy University ($11,000 vs. $11,030)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Clarke University as Mount Mercy University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Mount Mercy University students is 5.2% larger than aid received Clarke University ($28,628 vs. $27,219)

Clarke University vs. Mount Mercy College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Clarke University or Mount Mercy College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Mount Mercy College or Clarke University .

• The average SAT score at Clarke University (1045) is 55 points higher than at Mount Mercy College (990)
• Incoming Clarke University students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Mount Mercy College (21)
• Accepted freshman Mount Mercy College students have a 0.14 point higher average high school GPA (3.5) than students at Clarke University (3.36)
• Mount Mercy College has a higher acceptance rate (78.8%) than Clarke University (68.2%)

Clarke University vs. Mount Mercy College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Clarke University or Mount Mercy College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Mount Mercy College and Clarke University.

• The graduation rate at Clarke University is the same as at Mount Mercy University (60% vs. 60%)
• Graduates from Mount Mercy University earn on average $3,100 more per year than Clarke University graduates after ten years. ($45,900 vs. $42,800)
• Mount Mercy University students graduate with a $3,750 lower median federal student loan debt than Clarke University graduates. ($22,250 vs. $26,000)
• Mount Mercy College graduates are paying $38 less per month on federal student loans than Clarke University graduates. ($230 vs. $268)
• More Clarke University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Mount Mercy College students, three years after graduation. (74% vs. 71%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/