Private nonprofit · University

Mercyhurst University

Erie, Pennsylvania · Small city

81.0%
Admit rate
$19,444
Avg net price
60%
Graduation rate
$47,452
Median earnings

Mercyhurst University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Erie, Pennsylvania (small city setting), enrolling 2,191 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,191 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 81% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Northeast 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
2 miles to Erie, PA
To Great Lakes shore
3 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Erie International Tom Ridge Field (ERI)

How Mercyhurst University compares

Selectivity81.0%

More selective than 43% · #52 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

Graduation rate60%

Higher than 60% · #57 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention80%

Higher than 62%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,452

Higher than 31% · #101 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$19,444

Cheaper than 52% · #31 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$25,305

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment2,191

Larger than 60%

Percentiles compare Mercyhurst 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

2,549students
  • Undergraduate2,19186%
  • Graduate35814%

Undergraduates by gender

2,191undergrads
  • Women1,24457%
  • Men94743%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White73%
  • Black7.4%
  • Hispanic5.6%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,191
Graduate enrollment
358
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$51,028
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,737
Endowment
$32,838,023

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

Admissions

Admission rate
81.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$45,770
Room & board
$14,540
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$59,557
Average net price
$19,444

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)
60%
Graduated on time (4 years)
58%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
38%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,565
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,452
Median debt at graduation
$25,305
Students with federal loans
65%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
48%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
58%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
42%

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
2,000
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
91%
Housing charge (year)
$7,354
Meal plan (year)
$6,920
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Northeast Conference
Varsity athletes
766 (468 men · 298 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 (17)

Football134
Soccer117
Lacrosse105
Ice Hockey57
Baseball53
Rowing43
Water Polo38
Other Sports34
Basketball32
Field Hockey22
Softball22
Volleyball22
Wrestling22
Golf19
Tennis19
Cross Country16
Bowling11

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
24
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,632 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.

8.3reported offenses a year
8.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.7
Fondling
2.0
Aggravated assault
1.3
Burglary
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
$22,626
$30–48k
$22,429
$48–75k
$17,197
$75–110k
$21,665
$110k+
$16,748

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
$69,898

$17,197/year × about 4.1 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.

95%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$28,508
average award, among those who get one

Mercyhurst University discounts heavily: 95% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $28,508. 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 548 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)
$47,452
Typical debt at graduation
$25,305
Debt vs. one year's pay
53%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.3 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
$43,646
Men
$51,269

Men out-earn women by $7,623 (17%) 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 (6.9 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 Mercyhurst University

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

Colleges near Mercyhurst 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.