Mercy University
About
Mercy University, previously known as Mercy College, is a private research university in Dobbs Ferry, New York, United States, with additional locations in Manhattan and the Bronx. It is a federally designated minority-serving institution and the largest private Hispanic-Serving Institution in the state of New York. The university was historically affiliated with the Catholic Church, but has been independent and non-sectarian since the early 1970s, though it retains its historical affiliation with the Sisters of Mercy.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 20.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 104 Title IV programs, 42 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 62 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing42 · 40.4%
- No Data62 · 59.6%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 11
Action history · 13
- Aug 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: ProbationAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) - Programs leading to an associate degree
- Apr 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: ProbationAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) - Programs leading to an associate degree
- Jul 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Jun 2024Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Nov 2021Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 3,742 students received $22.4M in Pell grants, alongside $63.1M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 2,590 borrowers who entered repayment, 47 (1.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Mercy
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 7
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus5
Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Mercy vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Mercy selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectMercy University | 46% | — | 8,991 | $15,770 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Caldwell University | 57% | 71.3% | 2,005 | $21,188 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Centenary University | 55% | 83.1% | 1,398 | $19,037 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Dominican University New York | 52% | 63.3% | 1,396 | $26,187 | Doctoral/Professional |
Drew University | 70% | 67.8% | 2,232 | $25,644 | Baccalaureate |
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | 54% | 90.7% | 8,045 | $15,266 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Iona University | 56% | 86.9% | 3,958 | $27,951 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Saint Peter's University | 58% | 90.3% | 3,572 | $12,973 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
St. Francis College | 52% | 84.3% | 4,567 | $21,614 | Baccalaureate |
St. Joseph's University-New York | 69% | 72.0% | 3,899 | $17,622 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
St. Thomas Aquinas College | 54% | 93.0% | 2,037 | $21,344 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Touro University | 76% | 60.8% | 11,937 | $26,556 | Doctoral/Professional |
University of Bridgeport | 41% | 83.0% | 3,838 | $24,786 | Doctoral/Professional |
University of Hartford | 57% | 95.7% | 6,015 | $29,558 | Doctoral/Professional |
University of Mount Saint Vincent | 57% | 85.1% | 3,774 | $19,920 | Baccalaureate |
| Peer group median | 56% | 83.7% | 3,838 | $21,344 |
Mercy Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The guiding principle of institutional effectiveness and assessment work at Mercy University is the provision of optimal support services and opportunities for continuous improvement of student learning and success.
Visit IR office page- Matt PresserAssistant Vice President of Institutional Research and Innovation
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planMOMENTUM 20302026MOMENTUM 2030 is Mercy University’s strategic plan designed to propel the institution forward from 2024 to 2030. It focuses on five key pillars: Enrollment Growth, Student Success, Great Careers, Employee Engagement, and Fiscal Sustainability. By aligning its resources and strategies, Mercy aims to expand its reach, improve student outcomes, and ensure organizational resilience and financial health.mercy.edu
Notable alumni of Mercy (9)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Gabourey SidibeArts and entertainment
- Mercedes RuehlArts and entertainment
- Jamaal BowmanGovernment and civil service
- Garvin AlstonSports
- Regina PeruggiAcademia
- Pasquale J. D'AmuroGovernment and civil service
- Emmeline EdwardsScience and medicine
- Anna CowinGovernment and civil service
- Mary DonohueLaw
Frequently asked questions about Mercy University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Mercy.
What is the graduation rate at Mercy University?
How many students attend Mercy University?
What is the average net price at Mercy University?
What is the yield rate at Mercy University?
Where is Mercy University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Mercy University?
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