University of Detroit Mercy

Private · Moderately Selective · MI

Photo: Mike Russell (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMI · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads2,438

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate53%

6-yr grad rate67.2%

Drop-out rate16.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$33k

Out-of-state tuition$33k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity42%

Gender diversity64.1%

International7.6%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

University of Detroit Mercy is Michigan's largest Catholic university, formed in 1990 by the merger of the Jesuit University of Detroit and Mercy College, run by the Sisters of Mercy. That dual sponsorship shows up in a campus culture that blends Jesuit intellectual rigor with the Sisters of Mercy's service tradition, all rooted in a strong identification with the city of Detroit itself.

Academics

Engineering, nursing and other health professions, and architecture are the university's clear strengths, with the architecture program among the few in Michigan and known for a distinctive co-op structure that alternates study with paid professional work. Detroit Mercy also operates a law school and a dental school, both housed at a separate downtown campus, giving the university a genuine professional-school footprint uncommon at its size.

Campus & student life

The main McNichols campus, on Detroit's northwest side, houses most undergraduates, while law and dental students study downtown. Athletics compete in NCAA Division I as the Titans, in the Horizon League, giving the university a higher-profile sports presence than most similarly sized Catholic universities.

Getting in

Applications are reviewed holistically, with service, first-generation background, and fit with the university's dual Jesuit-Mercy mission carrying real weight alongside academic record.

After graduation

Engineering and health-profession graduates place well regionally, often staying in the Detroit metro area, and the architecture program's co-op structure means many students have real professional experience before graduating. The law and dental schools feed a distinct professional alumni network.

Worth knowing

The architecture program's cooperative education calendar, alternating semesters of study and paid work, is a defining and unusual feature worth understanding before committing to that major specifically.

udmercy.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate75.4%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1030–1260 · ACT 22–28

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying