Mercyhurst University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Mercyhurst University

Mercyhurst University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Erie, Pennsylvania (city: small), with a total reported enrollment of 2,191 students of which 2,534 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Mercyhurst University is categorized as “19” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 81.0%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,444, with published in-state tuition of $45,770 and a Pell grant recipient share of 31.3%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $25,305, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 59.5%, and the first-year retention rate is 79.8%. Graduates earn a median of $47,452 ten years after enrolling, compared with $39,565 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 274200.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 64.0% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.