More selective than 53% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $59,557. College Scorecard.
Higher than 51% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover and 62% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 14% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover and 33% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Mercyhurst University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,500 applicants, Mercyhurst University admitted 2,913 and 571 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Mercyhurst University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Pennsylvania residents with financial need may receive a PA State Grant: up to $6,000 a year in 2026-27 at approved colleges, depending on need and the college. Not included in the prices above. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), PA State Grant
What Mercyhurst University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Mercyhurst University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Pennsylvania. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $22,626 | $93,898 | 8.1 years |
| $30–48k | $22,429 | $93,080 | 8.0 years |
| $48–75k | $17,197 | $71,368 | 6.1 years |
| $75–110k | $21,665 | $89,910 | 7.7 years |
| $110k+ | $16,748 | $69,504 | 6.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (57% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($47,452) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $11,655 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Mercyhurst University majors, earnings & careers
Mercyhurst University offers 60 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 12
- Humanities & Languages · 10
- Science & Math · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Arts & Design · 4
- Education · 4
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Communications & Media · 1
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at Mercyhurst University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations | $86,597 | $25,625 |
| Accounting | $86,596 | — |
| Health Sciences | $83,812 | $26,000 |
| Political Science | $76,154 | $25,000 |
| Marketing | $74,187 | $26,000 |
| Business Administration | $72,411 | $26,000 |
| Biology | $65,000 | $27,000 |
| Finance | $63,128 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 60 majors
- Accounting$86,596
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Anthropology—
- Archeology—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$65,000
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Business Administration$72,411
- Business Economics—
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other—
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Criminal Justice$54,902
- Dance$41,049
- Data Science—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Education, Other—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance$63,128
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$45,411
- Health Administration—
- Health Sciences$83,812
- History—
- Hospitality Management$53,812
- Human Resources—
- Information Technology—
- Insurance—
- Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations$86,597
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International Business—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$74,187
- Mathematics—
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$47,652
- Music—
- Nursing—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Political Science$76,154
- Psychology$43,694
- Public Health$54,182
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security$55,665
- Social Work—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$49,638
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations$61,066
- Studio Art—
- Sustainability Studies—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Hospitality Management → Lodging manager
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Erie
Overall prices in the Erie, PA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,091. Housing costs 43% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 43 inches of rain a year, 104 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Erie County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Erie County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Mercyhurst University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Pennsylvania by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercyhurst University | 81% | $19,444 | 60% | $47,452 | This school |
| Arcadia University | 80% | $29,466 | 67% | $58,336 | |
| Neumann University | 81% | $27,804 | 54% | $57,817 | |
| Lebanon Valley College | 84% | $26,979 | 65% | $62,621 | |
| Mount Aloysius College | 82% | $22,344 | 57% | $46,165 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Mercyhurst University would cost you $10,022 less per year than Arcadia University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Mercyhurst University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$3,840).
- Mercyhurst University gives aided families $4,934 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Pennsylvania resident | Mercyhurst University | Arcadia University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $45,770 | $49,610 | −$3,840 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,500 | −$300 |
| Housing & meals | $14,274 | $16,250 | −$1,976 |
| Personal & travel | $2,261 | $1,100 | +$1,161 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,948 | −$3,815 | −$133 |
| Sticker price | $59,557 | $64,645 | −$5,088 |
| Average grants | −$40,113 | −$35,179 | −$4,934 |
| You pay | $19,444 | $29,466 | −$10,022 |
“+” means Mercyhurst University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Mercyhurst University
What is the Mercyhurst University acceptance rate?
Mercyhurst University accepts 81% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,913 of 3,500 applicants were admitted.
How much does Mercyhurst University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $59,557 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $19,444 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $22,626 and families earning $110k+ pay $16,748.
How much do Mercyhurst University graduates earn?
Former Mercyhurst University students earn a median $47,452 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Mercyhurst University graduation rate?
60% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 80% return for their second year.
How long does a Mercyhurst University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Mercyhurst University costs about $71,368 after grants ($17,197 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $47,452 ten years after starting, $11,655 more than high school graduates in Pennsylvania ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 6.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Mercyhurst University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/mercyhurst-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).