Mercer vs Rockhurst University

Mercer University and Rockhurst University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Mercer, located in Macon, Georgia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Rockhurst's selective admissions (65%). Mercer's student body is more diverse, with a larger population of undergraduate students, while Rockhurst has a smaller student body with a higher percentage of graduate students. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including business, nursing, and education, but Mercer has a wider selection of programs in the liberal arts and sciences. While Rockhurst boasts a slightly higher graduation rate (73% vs. 70%), Mercer offers a more affordable tuition rate. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Mercer University	Rockhurst University
Overview
Location	Macon, Georgia	Kansas City, Missouri
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
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	86.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.4%	66.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1220 - 1400	1083 - 1288
ACT range	28 - 32	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	5.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	68.0%
Total number of applicants	7,201	3,455
Total number of admissions given out	5,430	2,303
Admitted students who chose to enroll	950	403
Yield rate	17.5%	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$56,162	$61,815
Average net price	$21,164	$22,050
Tuition	$38,446	$39,500
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,580 Meal plan: $6,858	Room/dormitory: $6,360 Meal plan: $4,380
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $32,845	99.0% Average amount $31,441
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $5,473	55.0% Average amount $5,037
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $10,195	8.0% Average amount $11,948

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,941 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%	2,704 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Graduate students	4,068 Men 31.4% Women 68.6%	922 Men 38.2% Women 61.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	11.6%	33.5%
International students	2.6%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,025	931
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Georgia Florida Alabama South Carolina Tennessee	Missouri Kansas Illinois Nebraska Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Legal Profession Psychology	Health Professions Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.6%	74.2%
Dropout rate	4.8%	25.8%
Transferred out	21.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $107,312 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,724 Year 2: $70,176 Year 3: $81,865 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $65,843 Year 2: $66,179 Year 3: $68,163 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,377 Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $65,622 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,627 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $63,270 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,845 Year 2: $60,213 Year 3: $60,704 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,988 Year 3: $49,356 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,957 Year 3: $48,380 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,861 Year 2: $43,519 Year 3: $44,790 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,858 Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $38,388

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