Mount Marty University

The academic profile is pragmatic and health-sciences heavy. Mount Marty offers 43 majors, with the most popular being Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness; Registered Nursing; and Business Administration. Other prominent programs include Criminal Justice, Radiologic Technology, Biology, and Accounting. The university also provides flexibility through an Interdisciplinary Studies major, allowing students to design their own area of study. The business administration program, for example, explicitly aims to prepare students ‘for a contemporary world of work through education and experience in current theories and…’ The first-year retention rate is 68%.

Campus life is intensely residential and community-focused. Sixty-five percent of students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing. The university promotes on-campus living as an experience that ‘introduces you to different lifestyles, beliefs, attitudes and values.’ The stated mission of campus life is to foster a ‘community of people who care about each other's philosopher, physical, social and spiritual growth.’ Student affairs oversees a range of services and offices committed to maintaining a ‘vibrant, welcoming and hospitable’ environment. Social life includes gatherings and parties, according to student reviews.

Graduation rates and early-career earnings paint a picture of a regional institution delivering solid, if not spectacular, results. The six-year graduation rate is reported as 61%, though other sources note a 56% rate over a recent five-year period. The four-year graduation rate is 40%. Median earnings six years after graduation are $46,984. The university’s graduation rate is considered ‘average level nationally’ and places it ‘in the top 45% of comparable institutions.’

Mount Marty is aggressive with institutional aid to make attendance feasible. Ninety-seven percent of full-time beginning undergraduates receive grant or scholarship aid. The average institutional aid award for incoming students is about $25,000 per year. The average financial aid package is $38,451. After scholarships and grants, the net price—the average cost after aid—comes in at $24,472 according to one source, though the university's own materials suggest a typical package covers tuition, fees, housing, and meals, leaving a net cost. The financial aid process includes scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study.

Mount Marty stands out for its unambiguous fusion of Catholic liberal arts mission with a no-nonsense, career-preparation focus in the rural Upper Midwest. It’s not trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, it doubles down on a specific identity: a residential, caring community where the path to a practical degree in nursing, business, or criminal justice is wrapped in a values-based education. The admissions approach—test-optional, no-fee, and without gamesmanship around demonstrated interest—reflects this straightforward ethos. For students seeking a supportive, small-scale environment with clear pathways to in-demand professions, particularly in health sciences, without the cutthroat competition of larger universities, Mount Marty offers a compelling and focused alternative.