Mercyhurst University
About
Mercyhurst University is a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 30.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 95 Title IV programs, 26 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 68 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing26 · 27.4%
- No Data68 · 71.6%
- Failing1 · 1.1%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 13
Action history · 10
- Nov 2025Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation RemovedAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
- Apr 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: ProbationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
- Feb 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramNational League for Nursing, Commission for Nurse Education Accreditation · Nursing - Associate degree
- Feb 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramNational League for Nursing, Commission for Nurse Education Accreditation · Nursing - Associate degree
- Nov 2021Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 870 students received $5.0M in Pell grants, alongside $17.4M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,072 borrowers who entered repayment, 36 (3.3%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Mercyhurst
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 17
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus10
Includes 9 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- BRIGGS APTS. #41 fireElectricalDamage $1,000-$9,999
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Mercyhurst vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Mercyhurst selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectMercyhurst University | 60% | — | 2,632 | $27,263 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Assumption University | 75% | 83.0% | 2,037 | $28,853 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Baker College | 30% | 81.9% | 3,955 | $15,171 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Cedarville University | 73% | 65.3% | 6,318 | $25,022 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Charleston Southern University | 47% | 96.5% | 3,832 | $21,955 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Columbia College Chicago | 52% | 89.5% | 5,570 | $26,788 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Cumberland University | 42% | 67.3% | 3,457 | $18,292 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Dominican University of California | 78% | 83.5% | 1,900 | $50,218 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Florida Southern College | 71% | 64.4% | 3,211 | $29,664 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Franciscan University of Steubenville | 75% | 58.4% | 3,976 | $23,987 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Lee University | 63% | 70.5% | 3,714 | $20,399 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
LeTourneau University | 59% | 38.0% | 3,330 | $25,314 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Milwaukee School of Engineering | 67% | 58.9% | 2,953 | $24,021 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Mount St. Mary's University | 65% | 73.8% | 2,408 | $24,987 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Oklahoma Christian University | 56% | 96.5% | 2,851 | $21,423 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Oral Roberts University | 57% | 98.9% | 5,936 | $23,600 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Otterbein University | 68% | 84.5% | 2,332 | $22,140 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Pacific Lutheran University | 69% | 78.0% | 2,797 | $21,370 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Rivier University | 51% | 82.6% | 2,777 | $27,692 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Roger Williams University | 69% | 87.7% | 4,350 | $38,123 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Seton Hill University | 67% | 79.5% | 1,927 | $22,558 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Southern Adventist University | 55% | 65.5% | 3,229 | $24,334 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
St Bonaventure University | 67% | 81.6% | 2,752 | $27,151 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses | 0% | 39.9% | 9,868 | $21,976 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Tuskegee University | 55% | 48.7% | 3,121 | $32,977 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
University of Portland | 80% | 89.2% | 3,285 | $36,371 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Whitworth University | 71% | 89.8% | 2,314 | $25,884 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Xavier University of Louisiana | 48% | 69.0% | 3,218 | $18,285 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
| Peer group median | 64% | 79.5% | 3,215 | $24,661 |
Mercyhurst Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness provides leadership and guidance to support all assessment and accreditation activities across campus, working closely with faculty and staff to coordinate systematic assessment of learning outcomes, evaluation of student services/administrative programs, and institution-level data collection for compliance reporting and accreditation requirements.
Visit IR office pageCommon Data Set (1)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- Data definitionData definitionThe requested Data Definitions page from Mercyhurst University could not be found, indicating a 'Page not found' error. Therefore, no specific data definitions or structured content were available for extraction.mercyhurst.edu
- Data dictionaryData dictionaryThe page appears to be a general navigation and informational page for Mercyhurst University's institutional research division, containing various links for admissions, academics, student life, athletics, alumni, news, and other university resources. The actual content specifically related to a data dictionary is not found on this page, as there is a 'Page not found' error indicating the intended content might be missing or not available.mercyhurst.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- GlossaryInstitutional Research GlossaryThe specified page for Mercyhurst University's Institutional Research Glossary is not available. The link leads to a 'Page not found' error, indicating that the glossary content cannot be accessed.mercyhurst.edu
Notable alumni of Mercyhurst (13)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Polly Bukta
- Pat CampbellBroadcasting
- John DeasyPolitics
- Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong
- Mary Celine FasenmyerMathematics
- Pat Harkins
- Matthew HatchetteAthletics
- Rani Hoff
- Brent Holsclaw
- William KowalskiLiterature
- Robert Merski
- Luke RavenstahlPolitics
Frequently asked questions about Mercyhurst University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Mercyhurst.
What is the graduation rate at Mercyhurst University?
How many students attend Mercyhurst University?
What is the average net price at Mercyhurst University?
What is the yield rate at Mercyhurst University?
Where is Mercyhurst University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Mercyhurst University?
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