Mercyhurst University vs Saint Joseph's University (SJU)

Mercyhurst University and Saint Joseph's University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Mercyhurst, a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania, boasts a 75% acceptance rate and a diverse student body representing 42 states and 40 countries. Saint Joseph's, a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 68% and a student body primarily from the Mid-Atlantic region. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Mercyhurst is known for its strengths in nursing, education, and business, while Saint Joseph's excels in business, engineering, and the liberal arts. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these universities' unique offerings and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Mercyhurst University	Saint Joseph's University
Overview
Location	Erie, Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
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%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	82.4%	83.1%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $35
SAT range	N/A	1120 - 1310
ACT range	N/A	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		39.0%
Students submitting ACT score		7.0%
Total number of applicants	3,893	8,119
Total number of admissions given out	3,207	6,746
Admitted students who chose to enroll	625	1,038
Yield rate	19.5%	15.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$56,475	$65,105
Average net price	$25,785	$33,438
Tuition	$39,750	$47,740
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,966 Meal plan: $6,784	Room/dormitory: $9,424 Meal plan: $5,416
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $30,945	99.0% Average amount $30,728
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,469	59.0% Average amount $5,326
Students taking out private loans	19.0% Average amount $17,125	13.0% Average amount $20,869

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,641 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	4,196 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Graduate students	400 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%	2,268 Men 35.2% Women 64.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	4.5%	2.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,900	2,609
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	Business Education Health Professions Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.3%	83.2%
Dropout rate	14.6%	6.8%
Transferred out	22.9%	9.8%
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	Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,678 Year 2: $144,240 Year 3: $157,209 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,213 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $103,887 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,139 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $95,990 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,002 Year 2: $86,550 Year 3: $93,132 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,839 Year 3: $79,856 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,102 Year 2: $67,473 Year 3: $75,203 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,162 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $73,059 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,042 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $72,898 Insurance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,809 Year 2: $60,399 Year 3: $72,326 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,324 Year 2: $61,630 Year 3: $70,859

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