Mercyhurst University vs Saint Francis University

Mercyhurst University and Saint Francis University, both located in Pennsylvania, offer distinct educational experiences. Mercyhurst, a private Catholic university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Saint Francis' (68%). Mercyhurst's student body is predominantly female (63%), while Saint Francis has a more balanced gender ratio (52% female, 48% male). In terms of popular majors, Mercyhurst excels in fields like nursing, biology, and business, while Saint Francis is known for its strong programs in business, education, and healthcare. With a slightly higher graduation rate (68% vs. 65%), Saint Francis may have an edge in ensuring student success. 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 personal preferences.

	Mercyhurst University	Saint Francis University
Overview
Location	Erie, Pennsylvania	Loretto, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Fringe
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	78.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	82.4%	73.3%
Application fees		$30
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	3,893	2,063
Total number of admissions given out	3,207	1,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll	625	398
Yield rate	19.5%	26.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$56,475	$61,110
Average net price	$25,785	$28,883
Tuition	$39,750	$38,852
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,966 Meal plan: $6,784	Room/dormitory: $6,532 Meal plan: $7,076
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $30,945	100.0% Average amount $26,960
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,469	61.0% Average amount $5,240
Students taking out private loans	19.0% Average amount $17,125	29.0% Average amount $19,827

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,641 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	2,552 Men 38.0% Women 62.0%
Graduate students	400 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%	482 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	4.5%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,900	1,284
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 Business Military Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education	Health Professions Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.3%	74.0%
Dropout rate	14.6%	26.0%
Transferred out	22.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,462 Year 2: $103,821 Year 3: $107,108 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,301 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,231 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,560 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,679 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $64,580 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,723 Year 2: $58,866 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,218 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,629 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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