Mercyhurst University vs Carlow University

Mercyhurst University and Carlow University, both located in Pennsylvania, offer distinct educational experiences. Mercyhurst, a private university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Carlow's (68%). Mercyhurst's student body is larger, with an undergraduate population of over 3,000 students, while Carlow's is smaller, with around 2,000 undergraduates. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Mercyhurst excelling in fields like nursing, business, and education, and Carlow specializing in areas such as social work, healthcare management, and graphic design. While Mercyhurst has a slightly higher graduation rate (63%) than Carlow's (60%), both universities provide ample opportunities for students to succeed academically and professionally. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and goals.

	Carlow University	Mercyhurst University
Overview
Location	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Erie, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	76.0%	78.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.0%	82.4%
Application fees
SAT range	955 - 1140	N/A
ACT range	21 - 24	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%
Total number of applicants	1,044	3,893
Total number of admissions given out	961	3,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	185	625
Yield rate	19.3%	19.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,500	$56,475
Average net price	$18,638	$25,785
Tuition	$31,458	$39,750
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,516 Meal plan: $6,112	Room/dormitory: $6,966 Meal plan: $6,784
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,417	100.0% Average amount $30,945
Students receiving federal student loan	74.0% Average amount $5,458	73.0% Average amount $5,469
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $13,957	19.0% Average amount $17,125

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,246 Men 15.3% Women 84.7%	2,641 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students	738 Men 11.1% Women 88.9%	400 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.4%	4.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	445	1,900
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Health Professions Business Military Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.3%	62.3%
Dropout rate	46.8%	14.6%
Transferred out	N/A	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,027 Year 2: $87,051 Year 3: $91,798 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,654 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $66,937 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,682 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $64,258 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,706 Year 2: $58,919 Year 3: $60,246 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $47,635 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,285 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,519 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $36,335 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $42,157 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,132 Year 3: $42,151 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,584 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $41,489 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,386 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $37,462	Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,851 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $60,543 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,104 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $55,368 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,743 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $54,163 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $50,420 Year 2: $52,562 Year 3: $52,863 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $50,334 Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $46,945 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,580 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $46,106 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,341 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $45,426 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,961 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $41,401 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,610 Year 2: $32,658 Year 3: $40,216

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