Drake University vs Mercer

Drake University and Mercer University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Drake, a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, boasts a 70% acceptance rate, while Mercer, a private university with campuses in Macon and Atlanta, Georgia, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 65%. Drake's student body is more diverse, with 20% of students identifying as minorities compared to Mercer's 15%. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Drake including Business, Biology, and Psychology, and popular majors at Mercer including Business, Nursing, and Education. Drake's graduation rate is slightly higher at 75% compared to Mercer's 70%. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two universities. Dive into the details and discover which institution aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Drake University	Mercer University
Overview
Location	Des Moines, Iowa	Macon, Georgia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	86.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	69.1%	75.4%
Application fees	$70	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1190 - 1410	1220 - 1400
ACT range	25 - 31	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	14.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	43.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	7,932	7,201
Total number of admissions given out	5,479	5,430
Admitted students who chose to enroll	759	950
Yield rate	13.9%	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$62,125	$56,162
Average net price	$29,507	$21,164
Tuition	$45,734	$38,446
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,160 Meal plan: $5,128	Room/dormitory: $6,580 Meal plan: $6,858
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,904	100.0% Average amount $32,845
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,294	51.0% Average amount $5,473
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $18,053	16.0% Average amount $10,195

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,902 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	4,941 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Graduate students	1,973 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	4,068 Men 31.4% Women 68.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	68.0%	11.6%
International students	2.9%	2.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,758	3,025
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Minnesota Illinois Wisconsin Texas	Georgia Florida Alabama South Carolina Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Legal Profession Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Education Business Legal Profession Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.2%	73.6%
Dropout rate	20.2%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	21.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $113,335 Year 3: $126,268 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,514 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,552 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $92,797 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $80,038 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,587 Year 2: $71,255 Year 3: $78,000 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,903 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $72,353 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,700 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $71,750 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,167 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $70,579 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,063 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $67,788 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $61,460 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,013	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $102,958 Year 2: $115,064 Year 3: $119,786 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,104 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $108,135 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,605 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $99,907 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,042 Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $90,728 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,601 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $88,650 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,345 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $77,709 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,717 Year 2: $71,127 Year 3: $75,469 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,283 Year 2: $72,682 Year 3: $74,940 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,626 Year 2: $49,729 Year 3: $73,114 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,605 Year 2: $54,109 Year 3: $69,855

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Drake University vs Mercer

Drake University

Mercer University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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