Admission Process and Requirements

Admission to Mercy College is a two-step process. The first step is College admission. The second step is program admission. Each program has admission requirements beyond those for College admission. Click here for program specific admission requirements.

Completed College applications are first processed for general College admission before consideration to a professional program. Admissions Office personnel will determine if criteria for admission to the College have been met. Prospective students will receive an acceptance status after the application process has been completed.

Admission to the College does not guarantee admission to a professional program. Upon being granted general College admissions, students are encouraged to enroll in liberal arts and science courses at Mercy College.

College Admission Requirements

An applicant may be admitted to the College as a high school graduate, transfer student, high school completion, or home school student. The successful applicant for admission to the College must meet criteria listed below.

First-time College Students

A student who has no prior postsecondary experience attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level who has graduated from high school. This includes students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school). The admission of high school students prior to graduation is contingent upon successful completion of graduation requirements with grades comparable to those upon which the admission decision was based. Students must meet one of the criteria below:

• Have a high school cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher; or
• Have an ACT composite score of 18 or higher.

College Transfer Students

A student who has previously attended a postsecondary institution following high school graduation with at least nine (9) credit hours or more of postsecondary coursework. Students with fewer than nine (9) credit hours of postsecondary coursework will be considered for admission under First-time College Student or High School Completion. The admission of transfer students prior to completion of postsecondary coursework at another institution is contingent upon successful completion of these courses with grades comparable to those upon which the admission decision was based. College transfer students must meet the criteria below:

• Must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.25 on a 4.0 scale for all college work (a minimum of nine (9) credit hour).

High School Completion Students

High school completion students must meet all the criteria below:

• Earn a General Educational Development (GED) certificate; and
• Achieve a standard score of 450 or higher on the GED.

Home School High School Students

Home school high school completion students must meet all the criteria below:

• Provide a transcript signed by the students academic evaluator documenting the courses taken while in home school, credit earned in each course, and letter grade achieved, reflecting a high school cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher; and
• Have an ACT composite score of 18 or higher.

Admissions Department personnel will determine if criteria for admission to the College have been met. Admission to the College does not guarantee admission to a professional program. Upon being granted general College admissions, students are encouraged to enroll in liberal arts and science courses in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Mercy College. Prospective students will receive an acceptance status letter from the Admissions Department after the application process has been completed.