Mercy vs. VCU

Should I go to Mercy College or Virginia Commonwealth University? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Mercy or VCU is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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Mercy College vs. Virginia Commonwealth University comparison
Mercy College Virginia Commonwealth University College 3 College 4
Mercy College Virginia Commonwealth University
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Overview

 Mercy VCU
Location Dobbs Ferry, NY Richmond, VA
Setting Large Suburban Midsize City
Enrollment 8,615 28,082
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #843 #442
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website mercy.edu vcu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Mercy VCU
Tuition (In State) $20,518 $12,458
Tuition (Out of State) $20,518 $33,726
Room & Board $14,200 $12,279
Avg Net Price $15,879 $21,294
Avg Grant Aid $14,789 $12,583
% Receiving Grant Aid 97% 83%

Admission

 Mercy VCU
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,891 18,242
Admitted 6,775 16,600
Acceptance Rate 85.9% 91%
Enrolled % 13.7% 25.1%
Avg High School GPA 3.19 3.75
Typical High School Grades B A-
Admissions Standards Moderate Difficult
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 21/25 22/30
SAT Range 1020/1230 1030/1290
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 Jan 18, 2025

Academics

 Mercy VCU
Student to Faculty Ratio 15:1 16:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (30%)
  • Health Professions (21%)
  • Business (16%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (4%)
  • Business (15%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (13%)
  • Health Professions (9%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (8%)

Outcomes

 Mercy VCU
Graduation Rate 31% 53%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $42,200 $47,500
Making Student Loan Payments 40% 56%
Median Student Loan Debt $23,699 $23,250
Median Loan Payment $245 $240

Diversity

 Mercy VCU
% Men 28% 36%
% Women 72% 64%
Racial Diversity Very High Very High
HBCU No No
% White 27% 50%
% Black 23% 18%
% Hispanic 35% 8%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 6%
% International 1% 3%
% Unknown Race 7% 1%

Students

 Mercy VCU
% In-State 88% 92%
% Out-of-State 9% 6%

Campus

 Mercy VCU
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes Yes
Daycare Facility Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Virginia Commonwealth University is larger than than Mercy based on total student enrollment (28,082 students vs. 8,615 students)

Mercy vs. VCU Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Mercy or VCU?

  • Mercy College is 64.7% more expensive to attend than VCU for in-state tuition ($20,518.00 vs. $12,458.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 64.4% higher at VCU than Mercy College ($33,726.00 vs. $20,518.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Mercy College than VCU ($15,879 vs. $21,294)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Virginia Commonwealth University are 15.6% lower than costs at Mercy College ($12,279 vs. $14,200)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Mercy College than Virginia Commonwealth University (97% vs. 83%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Mercy College students is 17.5% larger than aid received Virginia Commonwealth University ($14,789 vs. $12,583)

Mercy vs. VCU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • Accepted freshman VCU students have a 0.56 point higher average high school GPA (3.75) than students at Mercy (3.19)
  • VCU has a higher acceptance rate (91%) than Mercy (85.9%)

Mercy vs. VCU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Mercy or VCU? 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 VCU and Mercy.

  • The graduation rate at VCU is higher than Mercy College (53% vs. 31%)
  • Graduates from Virginia Commonwealth University earn on average $5,300 more per year than Mercy graduates after ten years. ($47,500 vs. $42,200)
  • Virginia Commonwealth University students graduate with a $449 lower median federal student loan debt than Mercy graduates. ($23,250 vs. $23,699)
  • VCU graduates are paying $5 less per month on federal student loans than Mercy graduates. ($240 vs. $245)
  • More VCU graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Mercy students, three years after graduation. (56% vs. 40%)

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