Cost & financial aid brief
Mercyhurst University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Mercyhurst University cost after financial aid?
The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $19,444, which is $7,927 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 67% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The pattern across income bands is not a straight line. Families earning under $30,000 average $22,626, while those earning over $110,000 average $16,748—the lowest figure of the five.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,878. The middle bands sit between those two ends: families earning $30,001 to $48,000 average $22,429, those earning $48,001 to $75,000 average $17,197, and those earning $75,001 to $110,000 average $21,665.
The highest-income band sees the lowest average net price, a pattern that suggests aid is not tightly targeted by income alone.
The published cost of attendance at Mercyhurst University is $59,557 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #731 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $22,626 for families earning under $30,000, $22,429 for those earning $30,001 to $48,000, $17,197 for the $48,001 to $75,000 band, $21,665 for the $75,001 to $110,000 band, and $16,748 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,878.
Aid saves the average recipient $40,113 off the sticker price, bringing the average net price across all aid recipients to $19,444. Tuition and fees are $45,770.
That average net price is $7,927 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $25,305 in federal student loans, $1,106 above the peer median of $24,199.
94.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $25,932 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Mercyhurst University, with 94.0% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $25,305 at completion.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199 in federal debt. Mercyhurst’s median is $1,106 above that benchmark.
Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $25,932.
For Mercyhurst University, median earnings four years after completion are $57,293 among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled. That level is in the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
It sits $10,957 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $7,660 less than expects for similar students, an outcome at the 26th percentile.
Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $47,354 on the downside to $86,141 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $57,293. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $25,305 in federal loans, $1,106 above the peer median of $24,199.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings and debt sit on opposite sides of their peer medians, leaving the investment picture mixed.
Parent borrowing stands apart from student federal loans: parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $25,932. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $25,932
- Estimated parent payment
- $329/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $25,305
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $25,932
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $288/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $329/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $617/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $57,293, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
10.0% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.