Resources for School Counselors
High school counselors, transfer coordinators, international agents, independent counselors, and other enrollment consultants are essential partners in helping students assess their educational opportunities and navigate the admissions process. We appreciate the important role you play in helping your students navigate the college application process and determine whether Mercyhurst is the right fit for them. This webpage compiles some essential information about Mercyhurst that we hope you will find useful as you continue to assist your students.
Mercyhurst University Profile
Mercyhurst University is an accredited, four-year, Catholic, liberal arts institution originally founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1926. In our near-100 year history, Mercyhurst has earned a reputation as a thriving, cutting-edge university equipped with the academic programs, learning facilities, and faculty to deliver a quality 21st century education.
Today, we are home to more than 3,300 students, offering more than 86 undergraduate majors, 13 graduate programs, and a variety of post-baccalaureate and non-degree opportunities.
Our 75-acre main campus is located on a wooded hillside in Erie, Pennsylvania, overlooking beautiful Lake Erie. We’re approximately 100 miles from Cleveland, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York, and 130 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Mercyhurst has received national recognitions, including:
U.S. News & World Report: Best Value in the North Region
U.S. News & World Report: Top-Tier University in the North Region
U.S. News & World Report: Best Colleges for Veterans
Money Magazine: Best Colleges for Your Money
Money Magazine: Top 50 Most Affordable Private Colleges in the Nation
Money.com: Best Colleges in America
Career Development College of Distinction
Catholic College of Distinction (eight consecutive years)
President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership
Purple Heart University distinction
Designed for high-achieving high school juniors, the Accelerated Scholars Program provides students the opportunity to earn a semester’s worth of college credits by taking authentic Mercyhurst courses during their junior and senior years in high school.
Students enroll in online Mercyhurst courses taught exclusively by esteemed faculty, earn transferrable college credits, and make modest monthly payments automatically charged to a credit or debit card. In addition, the credits may be eligible for dual enrollment at the student’s high school. Finally, students who later enroll at Mercyhurst will be eligible for a scholarship that effectively covers the costs associated with Accelerated Scholars. This means students can complete an entire semester of coursework before ever setting foot on campus while paying less for a college degree.
Thanks to our flexible REACH Curriculum, the majority of the college and university credits that students have already earned—through undergraduate studies, dual enrollment, or testing—will fulfill core requirements for Mercyhurst degree programs.
As a fully accredited institution, Mercyhurst accepts most transfer credits from other accredited colleges and universities. In general, the credits earned for courses in which students have received a grade of “C” or higher will transfer to Mercyhurst. For students transferring from a community or junior college, Mercyhurst can accept a maximum of 60 credits, while students enrolling from four-year colleges or universities can transfer up to 80 credits. Credits earned for orientation, practicum experiences, internships, and student teaching do not transfer.
University credits can also be earned through students’ performance on Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. Generally, students must score a four or five on their AP exams to receive university credits.
Slate.org is a free tool for school counselors, independent counselors, and community-based organizations to maintain awareness of where students reside in the admissions process, and conveniently and securely submit materials directly to institutions. Slate.org is designed to provide a stronger relationship between school counselors and admissions offices by keeping everyone on the same page with your students' best interests at heart.
Mercyhurst's implementation of Slate.org will allow you to use the platform to monitor your students’ statuses, submit missing application materials (transcripts, letters of recommendation, and other needed materials), and check students’ final enrollment decisions.
To register as a Slate.org user, visit Slate.org and click the “Register” link in the main toolbar. If you experience issues registering, contact their office at info@slate.org. One member of your school will be designated to manage permissions. If you have previously submitted documents through the Common Application, you are pre-approved for a Slate.org account.
Mercyhurst Admissions prefers to receive application-related documents electronically—whether it’s through Common App, Naviance, Parchment, or a similar platform. Even if you typically use one of these platforms, there may be times you find you need to submit a corrected transcript or other non-standard document. Slate.org is simply another option and a great way to submit that information securely. If you work at a school that does not have access to electronic document submission, Slate.org will provide this functionality.
Mercyhurst partners with RaiseMe to offer high school students the opportunity to start earning micro-scholarships during their high school years. As early as freshman year in high school, your students can earn scholarship money for achievements in academics, sports, clubs, volunteer activities, and more. For students who enroll at Mercyhurst, the earned money will convert to scholarships, representing the minimum amount of financial aid they’ll receive in college.