Briar Cliff University vs Mercy College of Health Sciences

Briar Cliff University and Mercy College of Health Sciences, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Briar Cliff, a private Catholic university, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Mercy College, a private health sciences college, maintains a more selective 75% acceptance rate. Briar Cliff's student body is predominantly female (63%), while Mercy College's is more evenly balanced (52% female, 48% male). Both institutions offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Briar Cliff excelling in business, education, and nursing, and Mercy College specializing in health sciences, nursing, and rehabilitation sciences. With graduation rates of 58% and 70% respectively, both universities are committed to student success. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover more about these institutions and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Briar Cliff University	Mercy College of Health Sciences
Overview
Location	Sioux City, Iowa	Des Moines, Iowa
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	44.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	97.0%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	18 - 22
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score		14.0%
Total number of applicants		132
Total number of admissions given out		128
Admitted students who chose to enroll		51
Yield rate		39.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,190	$34,694
Average net price	$21,734	$18,129
Tuition	$32,526	$19,754
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,713 Meal plan: $5,440
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $25,701	77.0% Average amount $10,183
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,210	65.0% Average amount $5,436
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $12,375	12.0% Average amount $13,742

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	766 Men 47.4% Women 52.6%	951 Men 15.9% Women 84.1%
Graduate students	234 Men 31.6% Women 68.4%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	62.6%	N/A
International students	4.8%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	571	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Nebraska Texas Virgin Islands Illinois	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.7%	57.9%
Dropout rate	44.3%	42.1%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,675 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $75,805 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,009 Year 2: $57,657 Year 3: $59,664 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,817 Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $58,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,709 Year 2: $47,397 Year 3: $56,596 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $40,775 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,691 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,406 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,863 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,825 Year 2: $57,137 Year 3: $57,287 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,551 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $50,597 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,954 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,575 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,805 Year 2: $42,532 Year 3: N/A Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: N/A

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Briar Cliff University

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