The student population at Mercyhurst University is 2,632 (2,274 undergraduate and 358 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 196 (6.93%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Mercyhurst is 86.40% which is decreased by 239 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 43 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 73 male students for every 100 female students, down from 77 in 2015.
- 191 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 135.80% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 2,760 where 2,632 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 4 year-over-year increases and 5 decreases. It peaked at 3,041 students in 2022 and was lowest at 2,632 in 2025. Overall, enrollment dropped from 2,828 to 2,632 students, a net loss of 196 (6.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Mercyhurst University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 2,411 where 2,274 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Mercyhurst University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 349 where 358 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Mercyhurst University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 71.47%. The percentage was 69.06% 10 years ago and Mercyhurst still has a high percentage of white students. 1.52% of enrolled students is Asian and 6.84% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 5.24% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students increased from 69.06% to 71.47%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.38% to 1.52%. Black student enrollment increased from 5.23% to 6.84%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 2.26% to 5.24%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4816 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This decreased from 0.5195 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Mercyhurst University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
191 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 7% of total students. The number of online students has increased 135.80% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Mercyhurst University from 2015 to 2025.