Mount Mercy College vs. Lakeland University

Mount Mercy University vs. Lakeland University comparison

	Mount Mercy University	Lakeland University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Mount Mercy College	Lakeland University
Location	Cedar Rapids, IA	Plymouth, WI
Setting	Midsize City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	1,526	2,406
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	United Church of Christ	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mtmercy.edu	lakeland.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Mount Mercy College	Lakeland University
Tuition (In State)	$36,606	$30,400
Tuition (Out of State)	$36,606	$30,400
Room & Board	$10,636	$10,778
Avg Net Price	$24,078	$21,611
Avg Grant Aid	$27,288	$23,855
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	96%

Admission	Mount Mercy College	Lakeland University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,569	1,230
Admitted	1,181	1,224
Acceptance Rate	75.3%	99.5%
Enrolled %	19%	18.7%
Avg High School GPA	3.5	3.0
Typical High School Grades	B+	B
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range
SAT Range
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline	Aug 15, 2025

Academics	Mount Mercy College	Lakeland University
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	16:1
Popular Majors	Business (44%) Health Professions (22%) Education (10%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%) Psychology (4%)	Business (65%) Computer and Information Sciences (9%) Education (6%) Social Sciences (5%) Psychology (3%)
Outcomes	Mount Mercy College	Lakeland University
Graduation Rate	60%	42%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$45,900	$44,000
Making Student Loan Payments	71%	57%
Median Student Loan Debt	$22,250	$25,458
Median Loan Payment	$230	$263

Diversity	Mount Mercy College	Lakeland University
% Men	36%	41%
% Women	64%	59%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	81%	77%
% Black	7%	8%
% Hispanic	2%	5%
% Native American	1%	2%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	1%
% International	3%	2%
% Unknown Race	3%	1%

Students	Mount Mercy College	Lakeland University
% In-State	60%	70%
% Out-of-State	28%	30%
Campus	Mount Mercy College	Lakeland University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Lakeland University is larger than than Mount Mercy College based on total student enrollment (2,406 students vs. 1,526 students)

Mount Mercy College vs. Lakeland University Cost Comparison

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

• Mount Mercy University is 20.4% more expensive to attend than Lakeland University for in-state tuition ($36,606.00 vs. $30,400.00)
• Out of state tuition is 20.4% higher at Mount Mercy College than Lakeland University ($36,606.00 vs. $30,400.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Lakeland University than Mount Mercy College ($21,611 vs. $24,078)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Mount Mercy University are 1.3% lower than costs at Lakeland University ($10,636 vs. $10,778)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Mount Mercy University than Lakeland University (100% vs. 96%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Mount Mercy University students is 14.4% larger than aid received Lakeland University ($27,288 vs. $23,855)

Mount Mercy College vs. Lakeland University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Mount Mercy University (990) is 83 points higher than at Lakeland University (907)
• Incoming Mount Mercy College students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (21) than students at Lakeland University (19)
• Accepted freshman Mount Mercy College students have a 0.5 point higher average high school GPA (3.5) than students at Lakeland University (3.0)
• Lakeland University has a higher acceptance rate (99.5%) than Mount Mercy College (75.3%)

Mount Mercy College vs. Lakeland University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Mount Mercy College or Lakeland University? 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 Lakeland University and Mount Mercy College.

• The graduation rate at Mount Mercy College is higher than Lakeland University (60% vs. 42%)
• Graduates from Mount Mercy University earn on average $1,900 more per year than Lakeland University graduates after ten years. ($45,900 vs. $44,000)
• Mount Mercy University students graduate with a $3,208 lower median federal student loan debt than Lakeland University graduates. ($22,250 vs. $25,458)
• Mount Mercy College graduates are paying $33 less per month on federal student loans than Lakeland University graduates. ($230 vs. $263)
• More Mount Mercy College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Lakeland University students, three years after graduation. (71% vs. 57%)

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