Technology and Support

COMPUTER RECOMMENDATIONS

To be successful we strongly recommend students own or purchase a Windows or Mac OS portable computer.
Note: iPads and Chromebooks are not supported by Mercy College.  While they will work to access most resources, they will not work with online and classroom electronic exam software required for exams in many courses.

RECOMMENDED STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS

• Specification: Processor: Intel Core i5, i3, 4115Y or similar; Apple M1 series | Memory: 8GB | Storage: 128GB | Weight: Less than 4 Pounds | Battery Life: 10 – 14 hours | Screen: 13″ or larger | Keyboard: Full QWERTY physical keyboard
• Recommended Models: Apple Macbook Air, Dell XPS and Microsoft Surface Go Series (with added keyboard) portable computers.
• Cost:  Around $900 and up.
• Why: The recommended models are built for business use and tend to be more rugged.  Having 8GB of RAM often makes a PC run better. In 2019 ZDNET said “If you’re serious about your PC, then I consider this to be the new default.” These systems also usually have a much longer battery life than is typical with low cost consumer level computers.

RECOMMENDED MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS

• Specification: Processor: Intel Processor | Memory: 4GB | Storage: 64GB Weight: Varies | Battery Life: 6 hours or greater | Screen: 11″ or larger |Keyboard: Full QWERTY physical keyboard
• Examples: HP Stream, HP Envy and Dell Inspiron Series laptops.
• Cost: These computers typically cost between $230 and $650
• Why: We realize many students are on a tight budget.  Due to memory limitations you may need to shutdown extra browser windows or fully exit programs like the Microsoft Teams application Mercy College uses when not in use.

WIRELESS INTERNET

Mercy College provides free wireless Internet for students on campus, which will appear under the wireless network name, Students. Users of the wireless network must agree to ‘Terms and Conditions’ prior to use. For more information, please refer to the PDF Wireless Network Access.

CAMPUS COMPUTER RESOURCES

Mercy College provides several computer workstations in the library and few computers four other locations around campus. Students have access to equipment and software applications that are needed for academic assignments.

Campus computers use Windows 10 and Microsoft Office 2016. To ensure compatibility, saving files in a format compatible with Microsoft Office is often required for class submissions.

PRINTING AND PHOTOCOPYING

All campus student use computers have multi-function devices attached to allow you to print, photocopy, and scan documents to email. When printing,  students will be prompted for their student username and password. To photocopy, small release devices have been placed in each computer lab that require the student username and password. Students receive $10 in credit each semester to cover essential printing and copying. Students can add money to their accounts for additional copies throughout the semester by visiting the add-credit station in the library copy area. Copies and print-outs are charged at $.05 per page. Instructions for using each of the devices are posted in each computer lab.