Mount Mary University

Private · Moderately Selective · WI

Photo: Awkwafaba (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationWI · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads631

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate35.2%

6-yr grad rate43%

Drop-out rate32.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$35k

Out-of-state tuition$35k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity71.3%

Gender diversity99.8%

International1.4%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Mount Mary University is a private Catholic women's university in Milwaukee, founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. It serves a diverse, largely first-generation student body and has built its reputation around applied professional programs rather than a traditional liberal-arts model alone.

Academics

Fashion design is Mount Mary's signature program, one of the older and more established fashion programs in the country, with real industry connections and a design-school reputation that draws students specifically for it. Dietetics and occupational therapy are also strong, reflecting a broader institutional focus on applied, career-ready fields. Class sizes are small, and faculty mentorship is close.

Campus & student life

The campus is compact and urban, set in Milwaukee, giving students access to a real city while keeping a small, tight-knit residential community. As a women's university, campus culture centers women's leadership and professional development explicitly.

Getting in

Mount Mary is not highly selective and evaluates applicants with attention to fit and potential, particularly for students who are first-generation or from underrepresented backgrounds, which the university has built specific support structures around.

After graduation

Graduates of the fashion design, dietetics, and occupational therapy programs move into those fields directly at a strong rate, aided by industry connections built into the applied programs.

Worth knowing

The fashion design program's reputation is genuine and long-standing, not a recent add-on; students interested in that field should weigh Mount Mary seriously despite its small size and lower national profile compared with design schools in bigger fashion markets.

mtmary.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate62.3%

Enrolled mid-50%ACT 18–21

Test policyoptional

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying