Private nonprofit · University

Gannon University

Erie, Pennsylvania · Small city

74.2%
Admit rate
$22,553
Avg net price
66%
Graduation rate
$58,845
Median earnings

Gannon University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Erie, Pennsylvania (small city setting), enrolling 2,365 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,365 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 74% admitNCAA Division II with football · Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Sommerheim Park Archaeological District in Millcreek Township, west of the city, includes artifacts from the Archaic period in the Americas and the early and middle Woodland Period, roughly a span from 8,000 BCE to 500 CE. The Erie Art Museum is the city's main art gallery, located in the Old Customshouse on State Street. Its collection has an emphasis on folk art and modern art, and it hosts a popular blues and jazz concert series. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
Erie, PA
To Great Lakes shore
1 mile
Nearest airport
5 miles to Erie International Tom Ridge Field (ERI)

How Gannon University compares

Selectivity74.2%

More selective than 56% · #35 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

Graduation rate66%

Higher than 71% · #45 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention76%

Higher than 50%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,845

Higher than 65% · #70 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$22,553

Cheaper than 38% · #50 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment2,365

Larger than 62%

Percentiles compare Gannon University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Pennsylvania.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,786students
  • Undergraduate2,36562%
  • Graduate1,42138%

Undergraduates by gender

2,365undergrads
  • Women1,47562%
  • Men89038%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White61%
  • Black6.0%
  • Hispanic5.5%
  • Asian2.5%
  • Other or multiracial25%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,365
Graduate enrollment
1,421
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
24%
First-generation students
26%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$70,028
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$78,597
Endowment
$82,842,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 619 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Pennsylvania57%
  • Other U.S. states27%
  • International16%

A regional draw: about 56% of first-years come from Pennsylvania, the rest from elsewhere.

16% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
74.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$40,656
Room & board
$15,960
Books & supplies
$1,246
Total cost of attendance
$52,869
Average net price
$22,553

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
66%
Graduated on time (4 years)
53%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$55,319
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,845
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
64%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
63%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
53%
Low-income (Pell)
51%
First-generation
48%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,522
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
64%
Housing charge (year)
$8,130
Meal plan (year)
$7,480
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
653 (341 men · 312 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (14)

Football109
Soccer89
Wrestling78
Swimming50
Other Sports47
Baseball46
Gymnastics43
Water Polo34
Lacrosse31
Softball31
Basketball29
Cross Country26
Golf23
Volleyball17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (4,189 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

4.3reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.3
Fondling
1.3
Burglary
1.0
Robbery
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$18,489
$30–48k
$15,945
$48–75k
$20,352
$75–110k
$23,354
$110k+
$25,445

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$87,485

$20,352/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

82%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$24,458
average award, among those who get one

Gannon University discounts heavily: 82% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $24,458. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 639 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$58,845
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
46%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$55,897
Men
$61,723

Men out-earn women by $5,826 (10%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
81°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
43″
Annual snow
104.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Erie Intl AP, PA US station (5.9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Gannon University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Gannon University side by side →

Colleges near Gannon University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.