Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.
Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 4 years.
The payoff is roughly break-even — the degree recovers its cost, but slowly.
The numbers behind the verdict
Lifetime ROI: the long view
Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.
Conservative: holds year-5 earnings flat (no raises). Adjust the assumptions, or see the highest 20-year ROI colleges.
Equity & access
Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.
8% gap between the two groups
13% gap between the two groups
Essentially no gap — the payoff is even
Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.
Net price by family income
What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.
| Family income | Average net price / yr |
|---|---|
| Family income $0–$30k | $17,070 |
| $30k–$48k | $15,294 |
| $48k–$75k | $16,883 |
| $75k–$110k | $20,311 |
| $110k+ | $25,244 |
How Mount Mercy University compares
This college against the Iowa and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.
Graduate earnings over time
Median earnings of Mount Mercy University students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.
Best-paying majors at Mount Mercy University
Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.
| Major | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | Associate's | $73,088 | — | +596% | Strong return |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's | $71,296 | $23,558 | +438% | Strong return |
| Business/Commerce, General | Associate's | $69,914 | $23,708 | +409% | Strong return |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Certificate | $84,016 | $34,594 | +318% | Strong return |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Associate's | $57,775 | $21,359 | +166% | Strong return |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Associate's | $55,899 | $25,982 | +119% | Strong return |
| Marketing | Associate's | $54,878 | $26,500 | +98% | Strong return |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's | $54,703 | $26,000 | +95% | Strong return |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's | $50,062 | $25,000 | +2% | Break-even |
| Psychology, General | Associate's | $47,791 | $20,500 | -42% | Poor return |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Associate's | $45,918 | $26,625 | -82% | Poor return |
| Social Work | Associate's | $37,826 | $24,750 | -245% | Poor return |
Calculate your own ROI
Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.
ROI at Mount Mercy University
Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.
Admissions & profile
Location
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
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