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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Mercyhurst University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/mercyhurst-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/mercyhurst-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/mercyhurst-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/mercyhurst-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/mercyhurst-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Mercyhurst University cost after financial aid?

Mercyhurst University offers a lower average cost after aid than its comparable institutions, though its published charges are much higher before grants and scholarships. Its published cost of attendance is $59,557, an average across living arrangements.

Published tuition and fees are $45,770, and room and board is $14,540. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $19,444.

Average aid savings against the sticker price are $40,113. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371, and Mercyhurst University sits $7,927 below that figure.

Azimuth places the university in the 48th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lower peer-relative net price and sizeable average aid savings point toward a more favorable after-aid cost picture than the published charge alone.

Azimuth places the university at the 48th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $19,444, which is $7,927 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $27,371.

By income band, families earning under $30,000 average $22,626, while those earning over $110,000 average $16,748. The spread between the two ends is $5,878.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $25,305 in federal loans, $1,106 above the peer median of $24,199.

At Mercyhurst University, prices do not follow a simple income pattern: the lowest listed average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is in the highest-income band. Families earning under thirty thousand dollars have an average net price of $22,626; those earning from thirty thousand one dollars through forty-eight thousand dollars, $22,429; from forty-eight thousand one dollars through seventy-five thousand dollars, $17,197; and from seventy-five thousand one dollars through one hundred ten thousand dollars, $21,665.

For families earning over one hundred ten thousand dollars, the average net price is $16,748. Pell Grants reach 31.3% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,878.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$22,626

**$30–48K**
$22,429

**$48–75K**
$17,197

**$75–110K**
$21,665

**$110K+**
$16,748

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$19,444**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$25,932

**Estimated parent payment**
$329/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=mercyhurst-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.