College · Private nonprofit · Erie, PA · City
Mercyhurst University
Erie, PA
Religious affiliation
Admit rate81%
6-yr median pay$40k
Net price / yr$19k
Undergrad size2,191
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $19k/yr for a shot at a $40k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 81% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.
If you get in
2,191 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $60k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $19k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$238k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$78k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$160k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.0x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $45.8k
- Room & board
- $14.5k
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
How students pay for it.
Pell grants31%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans65%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$25k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention79%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr60%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$40k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$47k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out38%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 2,191
- Location
- Erie, PA
- Region
- Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, inclusive, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White73%
- Black7%
- International6%
- Hispanic6%
- Unknown5%
- Asian2%
First-gen students29%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time4%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$51k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 60
What you can study.