International Students

Admission Process and Requirements

Applications are open for the 2025-26 academic year! All required documents listed below must be received by August 1 (fall semester start) or January 2 (spring semester start) for academic consideration.

Mount Mercy is a test-optional institution which means that students are not required to submit standardized test scores (ACT/SAT) in order to be considered for admission but can submit scores if they feel it will strengthen their application to the institution. 

Admission files are reviewed on a rolling basis. Students applying for admission must submit the following in order to be considered:

• A completed online application
  
  
• Minimum GPA on a 4.0 scale of:
  • 3.0 for first-year (freshman) students based on high school coursework
  • 2.5 for transfer students based on college-level coursework

• Official international credit evaluation of high school transcripts and international college or university, if applicable

• Certificate of Finance or letter/affidavit from the bank certifying minimum of 50% of published tuition funds are available

• A scanned copy of the information page of your passport (email to admission@mtmercy.edu)

• Official scores from a Test of English Language Proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, STEP Eiken, Duolingo, ACT or SAT). Official scores from English proficiency tests that will be considered for admission into the university include:
  
  • TOEFL (550 PBT, 213 CBT, 79 IBT)
  • IELTS (6.0)
  • STEP Eiken (Grade 1)
  • Duolingo: Minimum score of 100 (no sub-scores lower than 85)
  • ACT: Minimum English section score of 20
  • SAT (1020)

Other ways to show English proficiency:

• Student attend a US high school for a minimum of 3 years and graduates from a U.S. high school.
• Student's country of origin lists English as the official language. Those countries are listed in the catalog.

Students who do not meet the published standards are still welcome to apply for admission consideration. A variety of additional factors are also considered (the quality and nature of the courses taken, extracurricular and community involvement, strength of the personal statement, motivation, personal circumstances, etc.) to ensure that the students admitted to the institution are those who are the best fit for Mount Mercy and whose preparation and experiences suggest that they have the best likelihood of succeeding here.

NOTE: Per government policy, international students are unable to attend fully-online university programs in the United States. Unfortunately, we are unable to admit international students to online-only programs.