Mercy College of Health Sciences vs Harvard

Mercy College of Health Sciences and Harvard University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, stand at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of size, location, and academic offerings. Mercy College, nestled in Des Moines, Iowa, is a private, non-profit college with a focus on healthcare education, while Harvard, situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a world-renowned Ivy League research university offering a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs. With acceptance rates of 88% and 5%, respectively, these institutions cater to different student populations. Mercy College's student body is predominantly female (78%) and local (92%), while Harvard's student body is more gender-balanced (50% female) and geographically diverse (only 38% from New England). Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the distinctions between these two institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors, to determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Harvard University	Mercy College of Health Sciences
Overview
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts	Des Moines, Iowa
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
Students retention rate	96.0%	44.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	4.0%	97.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $105
SAT range	1480 - 1580	N/A
ACT range	33 - 36	18 - 22
Students submitting SAT score	54.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	14.0%
Total number of applicants	57,786	132
Total number of admissions given out	2,318	128
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,951	51
Yield rate	84.2%	39.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,028	$34,694
Average net price	$13,910	$18,129
Tuition	$51,143	$19,754
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,705 Meal plan: $7,236
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	56.0% Average amount $59,840	77.0% Average amount $10,183
Students receiving federal student loan	3.0% Average amount $5,180	65.0% Average amount $5,436
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $8,080	12.0% Average amount $13,742

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,579 Men 49.0% Women 51.0%	951 Men 15.9% Women 84.1%
Graduate students	21,766 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	23.9%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	12,874	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Social Sciences Education Legal Profession	Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	96.7%	57.9%
Dropout rate	2.0%	42.1%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,193 Year 2: $128,716 Year 3: $240,408 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $184,307 Year 2: $165,340 Year 3: $199,043 Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $171,333 Year 2: $171,907 Year 3: $187,553 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $140,072 Year 2: $128,737 Year 3: $163,896 Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $151,371 Year 2: $174,023 Year 3: $163,512 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,508 Year 2: $117,916 Year 3: $129,281 Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $121,832 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $102,707 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $121,771 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,905 Year 2: $98,670 Year 3: $107,389 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $68,745 Year 2: $71,486 Year 3: $106,375	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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