Mercyhurst University
Tuition, net price, acceptance rate, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Erie, Pennsylvania
Net price / year
$19,444
after grants & scholarships
lower than 70% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges
Acceptance rate
81%
Graduation rate
59%
within 150% of normal time
higher than 52% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges
Median earnings
$57,293
4 years after graduating
lower than 58% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges
Mercyhurst University at a glance
- What is the tuition at Mercyhurst University?
- Undergraduate tuition and fees are $45,770 for the 2024-25 academic year.
- What is the cost of attendance at Mercyhurst University?
- The average cost of attendance is $59,557 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Mercyhurst University?
- The average net price is $19,444 a year after grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at Mercyhurst University?
- About 81% of applicants were admitted (fall 2024).
- Is Mercyhurst University test optional?
- Test policy reported to the federal government: Tests neither required nor recommended.
- What is the graduation rate at Mercyhurst University?
- 59% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 6 years (entering classes through fall 2018).
- How much do graduates of Mercyhurst University earn?
- The median graduate earns $57,293 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 3.7 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
- At $19,444 a year, the average net price is lower than 70% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges.
- Pell Grant recipients completed within 150% of normal time at a rate of 43%, compared with 59% for all students, a gap of 16 points.
- Net price barely changes with family income: about $22,626 for the lowest-income families and $16,748 for the highest.
- The school admits 81% of applicants, so most who apply are accepted.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Mercyhurst University
Average net price
$19,444 per year
Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
Estimate your own price with the Mercyhurst University net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$77,776
Net price × 4 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.
Net price by family income
Average yearly net price for students receiving federal aid.
- $0–30k $22,626
- $30–48k $22,429
- $48–75k $17,197
- $75–110k $21,665
- $110k+ $16,748
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $59,557
- Tuition & fees$45,770
- Books & supplies$1,200
- Room & board$14,540
- Other expenses$2,269
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $45,770
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $45,770
Mercyhurst University acceptance rate and admissions
Acceptance rate
Share of applicants admitted.
Test policy: Tests neither required nor recommended
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Mercyhurst University
Graduation rate
59%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
79%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Typical monthly payment
$268
On a standard 10-year federal plan.
Years of earnings premium to cover cost
3.7 years
Net cost ÷ (graduate earnings − high-school graduate earnings). Excludes income forgone while studying and assumes today's earnings. A rough guide, not a prediction.
Earnings vs debt
Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.
- Debt-to-earnings
- 0.4×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
- Share of pay going to loans
- 5.6%
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Outcomes by student group
The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.
Completion within 150% of normal time, by group
Share of students who entered in 2018 and completed within 150% of normal time (six years at a four-year college, three at a two-year college).
All students, same entering cohort: 60%
Group rates and the all-student rate come from the same 2018 entering cohort, so they can be compared directly. Groups at small colleges can rest on very few students. Data period: Entering cohort 2018 (IPEDS).
Earnings ten years after entry
All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.
Typical range: middle half of students
25th percentile $28,870 · median $47,452 · 75th percentile $68,639
Median by family income
Median by sex
This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.
Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).
Median federal student debt, by group
Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.
By Pell Grant status
By first-generation status
By family income
By gender
Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).
Programs and majors at Mercyhurst University ranked by earnings
| Program | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Earnings over time | Compared with the U.S. median for this field | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations Bachelor's · Graduates: 84 | $86,597 | 1 yr$52,2114 yrs$86,5975 yrs$80,168 | U.S. median $75,803 U.S. middle half $54.4K–$99.2K · Above the U.S. median | $25,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services Bachelor's · Graduates: 20 Small sample | $86,596 | 4 yrs$86,5965 yrs$80,293 | U.S. median $76,194 U.S. middle half $56.2K–$97.2K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General Bachelor's · Graduates: 17 Small sample | $83,812 | 4 yrs$83,8125 yrs$75,582 | U.S. median $61,296 U.S. middle half $42.8K–$82.3K · Above the U.S. median | $25,299 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Associate · Graduates: 100 | $77,864 | 1 yr$64,0094 yrs$77,8645 yrs$66,261 | U.S. median $80,813 U.S. middle half $61.1K–$103.8K · Below the U.S. median | $21,500 |
| Political Science and Government Bachelor's · Graduates: 20 Small sample | $76,154 | 1 yr$34,7114 yrs$76,1545 yrs$60,520 | U.S. median $63,293 U.S. middle half $44.8K–$85.4K · Above the U.S. median | $24,500 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 24 Small sample | $74,187 | 1 yr$33,7834 yrs$74,1875 yrs$68,395 | U.S. median $69,303 U.S. middle half $49.7K–$93.2K · Above the U.S. median | $26,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's · Graduates: 19 Small sample | $72,411 | 1 yr$47,2154 yrs$72,4115 yrs$61,660 | U.S. median $68,257 U.S. middle half $47.6K–$93.6K · Above the U.S. median | $26,000 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 27 Small sample | $65,000 | 1 yr$29,1674 yrs$65,0005 yrs$74,759 | U.S. median $57,214 U.S. middle half $38.9K–$79.2K · Above the U.S. median | $27,000 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services Bachelor's · Graduates: 18 Small sample | $63,128 | 1 yr$49,2514 yrs$63,1285 yrs$74,593 | U.S. median $83,343 U.S. middle half $60.8K–$111.5K · Below the U.S. median | $26,269 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations Bachelor's · Graduates: 24 Small sample | $61,066 | 1 yr$29,0784 yrs$61,0665 yrs$52,001 | U.S. median $59,631 U.S. middle half $42.1K–$78K · Above the U.S. median | $26,950 |
Show all 22 programs
| Security Science and Technology Bachelor's · Graduates: 20 Small sample | $55,665 | 4 yrs$55,6655 yrs$51,321 | U.S. median $57,805 U.S. middle half $41.5K–$76.5K · Below the U.S. median | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections Bachelor's · Graduates: 47 | $54,902 | 1 yr$38,5574 yrs$54,9025 yrs$51,630 | U.S. median $55,378 U.S. middle half $40.2K–$74.4K · Below the U.S. median | $26,000 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 30 | $54,182 | 4 yrs$54,1825 yrs$55,196 | U.S. median $58,808 U.S. middle half $42K–$79.2K · Below the U.S. median | $25,000 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management Bachelor's · Graduates: 34 | $53,812 | 1 yr$34,6754 yrs$53,8125 yrs$48,698 | U.S. median $56,726 U.S. middle half $41K–$73.8K · Below the U.S. median | $26,000 |
| Special Education and Teaching Bachelor's · Graduates: 24 Small sample | $49,638 | 1 yr$46,6364 yrs$49,6385 yrs$49,564 | U.S. median $50,499 U.S. middle half $41.4K–$60.1K · Below the U.S. median | $24,923 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other Bachelor's · Graduates: 19 Small sample | $47,652 | 4 yrs$47,6525 yrs$28,975 | U.S. median $55,693 U.S. middle half $40.3K–$72.2K · Below the U.S. median | $25,750 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 26 Small sample | $45,411 | 1 yr$28,2674 yrs$45,4115 yrs$58,401 | U.S. median $51,490 U.S. middle half $33K–$70.6K · Below the U.S. median | $26,836 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Associate · Graduates: 55 | $45,013 | 1 yr$32,6564 yrs$45,0135 yrs$38,746 | U.S. median $42,269 U.S. middle half $28.6K–$56K · Above the U.S. median | $20,000 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 23 Small sample | $43,694 | 1 yr$31,8684 yrs$43,6945 yrs$50,334 | U.S. median $50,706 U.S. middle half $35.7K–$67.2K · Below the U.S. median | $26,153 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections Associate · Graduates: 23 Small sample | $42,983 | 4 yrs$42,9835 yrs$34,329 | U.S. median $46,706 U.S. middle half $31.5K–$63.7K · Below the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 22 Small sample | $41,049 | — | U.S. median $39,980 U.S. middle half $24.9K–$57.3K · Above the U.S. median | $26,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations Associate · Graduates: 37 | $40,802 | 4 yrs$40,8025 yrs$36,207 | U.S. median $48,733 U.S. middle half $31.7K–$67.6K · Below the U.S. median | $12,000 |
Earnings are for graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years after completing, in 2024 dollars.
The U.S. median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) are for graduates of the same field and credential level at all colleges, 4 years after completing.
The 1-year, 4-year and 5-year figures come from different graduating cohorts and dollar years (1-year: AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 graduates, 2022 dollars; 4-year: AY2017-18 and AY2018-19 graduates, 2024 dollars; 5-year: AY2014-15 and AY2015-16 graduates, 2022 dollars), so read them as three separate measures, not a single career path.
Small samples are noisy: the Scorecard adds privacy noise to program figures and some rows are based on only a handful of graduates, so rows marked “small sample” can move a lot from year to year.
What students study
The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.
Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field
A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).
Who attends
A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
Race and ethnicity
- White 73.4%
- Black or African American 7.4%
- Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
- Asian 1.6%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 0.3%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.2%
- Two or more races 0.1%
- U.S. nonresident 6%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 5.4%
Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Gender
- Men 42.7%
- Women 57.3%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
7%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,191
- Part-time students
- 4%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 31%
- Receive federal loans
- 65%
- Students per faculty member
- 14 : 1
- Setting
- City
Similar colleges
Schools of a similar type, price, size and outcomes.
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Frequently asked questions
How much is tuition at Mercyhurst University?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Mercyhurst University reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $45,770. This is the published price before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.
What is the cost of attendance and net price at Mercyhurst University?
The average cost of attendance at Mercyhurst University is $59,557 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $19,444 a year. That is lower than 70% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Mercyhurst University get?
31% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 65% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $22,626 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $16,748 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Mercyhurst University?
Mercyhurst University admitted about 81% of applicants in fall 2024. That means most applicants are admitted.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Mercyhurst University?
59% of first-time, full-time students at Mercyhurst University finish within 150% of normal time. 79% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do Mercyhurst University graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $57,293 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $39,521.
Is Mercyhurst University worth it?
There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Mercyhurst University, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 3.7 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $25,305, about 0.4 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 59% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time. These are averages, not predictions, and they do not count income forgone while studying.
How much debt do Mercyhurst University graduates have?
Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $25,305, or about $268 a month on a 10-year plan.
Sources and data periods
All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:
- Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation rate: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
- Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things