+20%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Mercyhurst University rose 20% between 2006 and 2009 ($20.4k → $24.4k).
Pennsylvania · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's
Mercyhurst University
Erie, Pennsylvania. 2,217 undergraduate students. 106 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Mercyhurst University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Mercyhurst University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (3.3% → 0.0%).
-16%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at Mercyhurst University fell 16% between 2021 and 2024 (2.6k → 2.2k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Mercyhurst University earnings, debt, and completion vs. the Pennsylvania median
Each tile compares this institution to the Pennsylvania median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$47,452+20% · 6→10y
Pennsylvania median $49,859$39,565
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry58.7%+17% · '97→'09
Pennsylvania median 66.1%$19,500+313% · '97→'20
At program completion2,217-10% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS77.6%-3% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time83.2%-3% · '01→'24
latest cohort$44,510+219% · '00→'24
out-of-state $44,510SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Mercyhurst University earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Mercyhurst University
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
5.5%Median federal debt $19,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $47,452 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Mercyhurst University enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+34%
Mercyhurst University · completion · 100% rose
43.1% → 57.6%
+219%
Mercyhurst University · in-state tuition rose
$14,340 → $45,770
+70%
Mercyhurst University · out-of-state tuition rose
$14,340 → $24,351
+313%
Mercyhurst University · median debt rose
$6,125 → $25,305
-100%
Mercyhurst University · cohort default rate fell
10.3% → 0.0%
+26%
Mercyhurst University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$35,800 → $45,273
+21%
Mercyhurst University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$32,600 → $39,565
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Mercyhurst University programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Accounting and Related Services$80,293Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations$80,168Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General$75,582Biology, General$74,759Finance and Financial Management Services$74,593Marketing$68,395Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$66,261Business Administration, Management and Operations$61,660Political Science and Government$60,520Design and Applied Arts$58,401Public Health$55,196Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations$52,001Criminal Justice and Corrections$51,630Security Science and Technology$51,321Communication and Media Studies$50,801Psychology, General$50,334Special Education and Teaching$49,819Special Education and Teaching$49,564Hospitality Administration/Management$48,698English Language and Literature, General$41,434Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services$38,746Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$37,195Business Administration, Management and Operations$36,207Criminal Justice and Corrections$34,329
Showing top 24 of 25 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
25 Mercyhurst University programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 29
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations$52,001Hospitality Administration/Management$48,698Marketing$68,395Accounting and Related Services$80,293Business Administration, Management and Operations$61,660Finance and Financial Management Services$74,593Business Administration, Management and Operations$36,207
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Mercyhurst University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$568,080
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 5
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $25,101
- HS-only baseline · PA
- $38,100
- Years to complete
- 2
- CIP family
- 51
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Mercyhurst University graduates earn $X” — not “Mercyhurst University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Mercyhurst University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.