What Kind of School It Is and Where It Stands
University of Detroit Mercy is a private, nonprofit, four-year or higher institution. The federal system that classifies universities places it among doctoral and professional universities, and the highest credential level it reports offering is indeed the doctorate. That is an institutional fact: it does not tell you whether the specific program your child is interested in goes up to that level. Verify the program, not the school’s general classification.
Using data from 2019-20, Carnegie describes it as a medium-sized, primarily residential four-year school: at that time, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing, and at least half studied full time. Using more recent data, from 2021, it also appears among institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child is thinking about entering here after studying somewhere else, this is a sign to ask, with the documents in hand, which courses will count and which will not.
It is in Detroit, Michigan, within Wayne County, in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metropolitan area. Its census code places it in a principal city with 250,000 residents or more. That does not tell you how to get to campus or what there is nearby; if your child plans to live at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday at the exact time of their classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
And one thing worth clarifying from the start: University of Detroit Mercy has none of three specific designations in the federal system—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Not having them does not tell you which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
The Size of the Community and Who Is Part of It
In the most recent official fall count, University of Detroit Mercy had 5,528 enrolled students: neither among the small schools nor the enormous ones, but in the band between 5,000 and 9,999. Compared with 941 selective private four-year schools, it is on the larger side: between one and three out of every ten schools in that group have more students.
But that total conceals something important: it is divided between 3,352 undergraduate students and 2,176 graduate students. A large part of the school consists of people who have already finished one degree and returned for another credential. If your child is entering a bachelor’s degree program, the number that really matters is 3,352, not the total of 5,528.
As for who makes up that undergraduate community: 9 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino, a small minority that ranks below the midpoint of the 941 comparable selective private schools without falling into the bottom quarter. Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, nor would having many make it good; it is simply a fact about who is enrolled. If your child will be one of the few, ask which groups and support services exist, and speak with a student who is already there before deciding.
The rest of the picture: students ages 25 to 64 are a minority, at 6 out of every 100. The undergraduate population is almost evenly divided between men and women, with women accounting for 52 out of every 100. And 85 out of every 100 first-time students reported a permanent address in Michigan when they applied. Above all, it is a school that attracts people from within the state.
How the Academic Year Works and What the School Does With What Your Child Already Knows
The calendar is semester-based: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school stated that it accepts credit from AP exams and also what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, courses for adults, work experience, portfolios, licenses or certifications, and military or professional opportunities. It also reports enrolling high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program, and accepting credit for military training.
Here is the hard truth in this section: stating that it accepts AP does not mean it gives credit for every exam. It does not say how many points are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific program. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for the degrees it awards, in the most recent reported year there were 623 bachelor’s degrees, distributed across 19 fields of study. By far, the field with the most degrees was health professions: 252 of the 623, or 40 out of every 100. That places it among the schools awarding the most bachelor’s degrees per year within its comparison group. Nineteen fields represented in the report do not mean nineteen actual programs with active offerings—some may report zero—so verify the exact program your child is interested in, not the general list.
As for group size, the official ratio is 12 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. It is a low figure in general terms, but when compared only with schools of the same type, it is above the median—neither among the lowest nor among the highest in the group. This number does not describe the actual size of first-year classes; it is an institutional average, not a classroom.
University of Detroit Mercy also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, noncredit developmental education, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, and state approval for initial teacher certification.
Getting In: What It Requires, How Many Are Accepted, and How Many Stay
There are three separate questions here, and it is best not to mix them up: what the school requires for admission, how many applicants receive an acceptance, and how many admitted students decide to enroll. Those are three separate numbers.
What it requires. University of Detroit Mercy does not have open admission: it reviews application components before deciding. Of nine possible considerations, it marks five as required: the high school record, grade point average, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, the personal essay, and an English proficiency exam for those to whom it applies. That means your child has to write; the essay is not optional here. It also considers, without requiring, class rank, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether a family member attended the school. Your child cannot change that last factor—if it does not apply, do not spend energy on it; spend it on what is within their control. The published application fee is $0.
How many are accepted. Of 5,750 first-time applicants in the most recent cycle, 4,608 received an offer of admission: 80 out of every 100. It is an accessible acceptance rate, slightly above the midpoint of comparable selective private schools. Put simply, this school receives thousands of applications and still accepts 8 out of every 10. There is reason to try—and also reason to submit a complete application on time. Remember that the 80 comes from a single cycle, not a fixed rule; when it is your child’s turn, check that year’s number again.
How many enroll after being admitted. Here the number takes on a different tone: only 12 out of every 100 admitted students enrolled. Of every 8 young people who were admitted, roughly one ultimately enrolled. Do not read that as a stain: the fact that most admitted students did not choose this school does not mean it is bad, only that they had other options. What you need to do is wait for your own letter showing the net price—that is what it will actually cost you, and that is the number you use to decide whether it stays on the list.
As for tests, neither the SAT nor the ACT is required. Half of the students who enrolled submitted SAT scores—a high share compared with similar schools—and among them, the middle half scored between 510 and 630 in reading and writing, and between 510 and 630 in mathematics. Those ranges describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants; 510 is not a minimum, and 630 guarantees nothing.
And regarding transfers: of a cohort that entered in 2017 seeking bachelor’s degrees, 21 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without finishing here. Transferring is not failing. It is still helpful for your child to know in advance how to request their records if they ever need to leave.
The List Price and What Families Ultimately Pay
At University of Detroit Mercy, among 89 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $12,616. Among 60 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $15,090; among 71 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $22,663. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (89 students) and the average for the highest-income band (71 students) is $10,047. Among first-year students who received any grant aid, the average was $17,987.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, this school falls in the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a fact that carries weight when you build the list of schools to apply to.
None of these figures is a price quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the aid letter you receive. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Financial Aid and Loans: What Students Actually Receive and What You Need to Request in Writing
96 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is the norm here, not the exception. Among those who received it, the annual average was $20,797—an actual number, but not a price: that average includes people who received much more and people who received much less. The federal Pell Grant, intended for low-income families, reached 34 out of every 100 students.
As for loans, 31 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the most recent reported year. Compared with similar schools, it is on the low side—seven out of every ten comparable schools had a higher share of students with loans. Among those who did borrow, the annual average was $7,183. That covers a single year and only federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include loans sometimes signed by parents, bank debt, or credit card debt, and it is not the cumulative debt with which someone graduates.
Here is the hard truth again: none of these percentages is your offer. The amount your child would have to borrow is determined by their own financial aid letter, not the average for other families. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it. And to manage tuition payments, University of Detroit Mercy reports an installment payment plan as an available option.
Campus Life, Athletics, Distance Education, and Support Services
University of Detroit Mercy has its own housing and does not require all first-time students to live there. It also offers meal plans, including a large fixed-number-of-meals-per-week plan. The reported maximum housing capacity is 965 students. The existence of a room does not guarantee that a bed will be available for your child: ask in writing for the year’s rate, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child will be placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, the school reported that an opportunity is available, and the only confirmed branch is Air Force. Army and Navy are not marked in the report. Unconfirmed is not the same as impossible—it means you need to ask directly if your child is interested in another branch.
In athletics, University of Detroit Mercy competes and is affiliated with the NCAA. The report confirms membership for basketball and cross-country or track and field, but it does not specify the division, current season, or whether athletic scholarships are available. If sports are part of the plan, write directly to the coach and request the response in writing.
As for distance education, the school offers online courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and it reports at least one complete program that can be finished remotely. But in the most recent fall count, no undergraduate student was taking their entire course load through distance education—zero out of every 100. That neither confirms nor rules out whether this option is available today for your child’s program; confirm it directly.
The library operates with paid staff, and its spending exceeded the $100,000 threshold recorded by the government. It has physical and digital collections, and it participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that it has specific databases for your child’s program—that is something to ask about by program name.
Finally, the institution reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students and placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military service members, a recognized student veterans organization, and a published services page for people with disabilities.
Who Stays and Who Completes the Degree
Here we come to the question that carries the most weight: if a student enrolls, do they stay and finish?
Of a cohort that entered in the fall as full-time bachelor’s-degree-seeking students, 82 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already completed their degrees one year later. That number does not separate those still studying from those who had already graduated, and it also does not explain what happened to the rest: not returning is not the same as dropping out, because someone who transferred to another university and remains enrolled there is counted the same way in this figure as someone who left school. Compared with similar schools, this percentage is just above the midpoint of the group.
As for graduation, of the 536 students who began full-time bachelor’s degree programs in 2017, 365 had graduated here within six years—68 out of every 100. At four years, the figure falls to 53 out of every 100, fifteen percentage points lower. Four years is exactly the timeline most families have budgeted for, so that gap truly matters: before signing, ask in writing how long the exact program your child is interested in usually takes, how required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if the program takes longer.
Within those 536, the exact breakdown is: 365 completed here, 0 completed a program of less than four years, 114 transferred to another institution without finishing here, 6 remained enrolled without completing within the period, and 51 were placed in the “no longer enrolled” category, which does not explain the reason. Compared with similar schools, University of Detroit Mercy is above the median for this graduation rate.
One more long-term figure: following a cohort that entered in 2015-16, by the eight-year mark, 66 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among students who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 56 out of every 100—13 points below the group that did not receive Pell. That comparison describes a specific cohort from years ago; a family qualifying for Pell today does not determine the outcome for their child. It is still a legitimate question to ask the school: what specific support exists for students with Pell Grants—an assigned advisor, emergency assistance, annual renewal of the school’s grant—and request the answer in writing.
What You Already Know and What You Still Need
You now know something real and verified about University of Detroit Mercy: its size, its community, how it admits students, what it costs on paper and what it ultimately costs in practice, who stays, and who graduates. That is one piece of the map, not the complete map.
What is missing is what only your child can tell you: what they want to study, how far away they are willing to live, and how much the size of this campus or the strength of this health program matters to them compared with another.
No figure in this article makes the decision for you. Combine it with those other two pieces, and a plan emerges.
Source: official data from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, corresponding to the years and cohorts indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent University of Detroit Mercy or any government agency.