Students take a core of liberal arts courses as a foundation for areas of study including English, fine arts, history, mathematics, multicultural studies, natural science, philosophy, theology[2] and social science.

[4] Mount Mercy University's 40-acre (16 ha) campus is in a residential neighborhood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (population 134,268).

These sisters, whose order was founded in 1831 by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, have been active in Cedar Rapids since 1875.

The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) since the 2016–17 academic year, after spending a season as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) during the 2015–16 school year.

Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, lacrosse,[11] track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include competitive cheer and competitive dance.

Intramural activities include basketball, volleyball, golf, flag football, softball and cross country.