Mercyhurst ushers in most diverse class in two decades amid exciting new milestones

Group of students posing for a photo on 2024 Laker Launch Day

With the start of the 2024-25 academic year, Mercyhurst University looks forward to welcoming 650 traditional freshmen and transfer students, 200 graduate students, and 160 adult/professional students, for a total of 1,010 new students.

Move-In Day is Saturday, Aug. 17, but more than half of the 228 students attending the last orientation session of the summer on Friday will move in that afternoon. Among the group are 29 students from Notre Dame College of Ohio, which entered into a teach-out agreement with Mercyhurst and several other regional universities before it closed last spring. The group also includes new international students, hailing 25 countries, among them are Sweden, Ghana, Spain, Finland, Mexico, Serbia, New Zealand, Hungary, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Besides getting their schedules, meeting with representatives from their academic programs, and getting to know fellow Lakers, students will attend the Student Services Fair on Friday afternoon in the library, where they will learn about the many resources available to them, from clubs and organizations to counseling.

This class is distinguished by several unique features as outlined here by Steve Gregg, executive director of Admissions:

  • For the first time in over 20 years, the class achieves a near-equal gender balance, with males constituting 51.6% and females 48.4%
  • In its inaugural year as a Division I institution, Mercyhurst also welcomes its largest-ever incoming class of undergraduate-athletes
  • The university anticipates its largest cohort of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students in two decades, with 15.5% of traditional-aged bachelor’s degree-seeking students identifying as BIPOC—an increase of 5.5% from last year
  • The Organizational Leadership graduate program is set to welcome the second-largest incoming class in its history, with 55 new students, reflecting a 31% increase from the previous year
  • Mercyhurst will have 98 incoming traditional-aged bachelor’s degree-seeking transfer students, marking the third-highest number in the past decade
  • The university is also seeing a significant number of first-year students from Mercyhurst Prep, with 35 enrolled—tying the highest number in 20 years
  • This year, Mercyhurst welcomes its largest-ever cohort of high school dual-enrollment students
  • The Nursing program is experiencing its largest incoming class of undergraduate nursing students since 2019, including 41 four-year BSN students and 35 Licensed Practical Nursing students

“Considering the challenges faced by many colleges and universities across the country of our size and type, coupled with this year’s FAFSA challenges, our enrollment numbers have us feeling positive about the future,” said Vice President for Enrollment Michael Joseph.

FILE PHOTO: 2024 Laker Launch Days