Mercyhurst University vs Villanova University

Mercyhurst University and Villanova University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Mercyhurst, a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania, boasts a close-knit community with a focus on liberal arts and professional programs. Villanova, a private Catholic university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, excels in research and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Mercyhurst University	Villanova University
Overview
Location	Erie, Pennsylvania	Villanova, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: 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%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	82.4%	25.2%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1350 - 1490
ACT range	N/A	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		28.0%
Students submitting ACT score		17.0%
Total number of applicants	3,893	24,410
Total number of admissions given out	3,207	6,162
Admitted students who chose to enroll	625	1,772
Yield rate	19.5%	28.8%
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	$77,806
Average net price	$25,785	$33,123
Tuition	$39,750	$58,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,966 Meal plan: $6,784	Room/dormitory: $8,236 Meal plan: $7,150
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $30,945	52.0% Average amount $43,106
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,469	34.0% Average amount $5,267
Students taking out private loans	19.0% Average amount $17,125	7.0% Average amount $29,933

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,641 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	7,032 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%
Graduate students	400 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%	3,838 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	80.7%
International students	4.5%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,900	5,400
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Connecticut Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Military Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education	Business Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.3%	91.3%
Dropout rate	14.6%	1.5%
Transferred out	22.9%	7.2%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $114,668 Year 2: $165,766 Year 3: $171,511 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $124,137 Year 2: $100,740 Year 3: $121,765 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,590 Year 2: $109,095 Year 3: $118,365 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,687 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $106,587 Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,782 Year 2: $71,351 Year 3: $91,484 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,757 Year 2: $73,579 Year 3: $88,419 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,583 Year 2: $80,218 Year 3: $88,254 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,297 Year 2: $71,947 Year 3: $86,990 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,492 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,115 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $84,596

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