Fast Facts

Mercyhurst campus
  • Mercyhurst is a four-year, Catholic, liberal arts university, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1926.
  • Mercyhurst was granted university status in 2012.
  • More than 50 undergraduate majors and 12 graduate degrees are available at the university.
  • Mercyhurst offers 26 varsity-level sports, with the Lakers fielding teams in 14 women’s sports and 12 men’s sports. 25 programs compete at the NCAA Division I level.
  • Mercyhurst's 75-acre campus is in Erie, Pennsylvania, approximately 100 miles from Cleveland, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York, and 130 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Accreditation: The Pennsylvania Department of Education; The Council on Social Work Education; The Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration; National Association of Schools of Dance; Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education; The American Physical Therapy Association; The National Association of Schools of Music; and International Assembly of Collegiate Business Educators
  • Full-time Graduate Students: 425
  • Average class size: 20; All courses are taught by faculty, not graduate or teaching assistants

Undergraduate Profile

42% male, 58% female

Approximately 42% of students identify as Catholic; a variety of other faith traditions are represented

Average GPA: 3.45

Middle 50% SAT: 1079

Middle 50% ACT: 23

Geographic distribution: Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, 37 other states and 40+ countries

Fun Facts

  • When Mother Borgia Egan was looking to build her college, she was advised by Father Garson to build it "on a hill" and "near water."  When constructed, Mercyhurst sat atop Erie's largest hill, overlooking Lake Erie. 
  • The "Hurst" part of the university's name pays homage to the "wooded area on the hill" where Mercyhurst found its home.
  • The Grotto was named and modeled after the Grotto at Notre Dame University. 
  • The Grotto was constructed at the peak of the Great Depression, by unemployed laborers who worked with Father Sullivan to construct the Grotto out of thanks for the daily soup kitchen the sisters ran for the poor and out of work.
  • The chapel lobby has received many famous visitors, including the Von Trapp Family and Eleanor Roosevelt.
  • The first male to graduate from Mercyhurst College was Daniel Burke. He retired as a member of the university's art faculty in 2021.
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