Earlier this month, Mercyhurst University was recognized again as a ‘Best Value’ school from the U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges guide 2017 edition. Mercyhurst ranked 61 out of 137 Northern Regional universities.

Many factors are looked at for the rankings of the ‘Best Value’ schools: the previous year’s cost of attendance for students receiving average level of need-based financial aid, academic quality at the school, and the overall ranking in the 2017 guide.

Mercyhurst is a welcoming and accommodating community to the students. David Dausey, Ph.D., provost and vice president of academic affairs, speaks highly of Mercyhurst.

“Mercyhurst is generous with its students with aid and scholarships, and I think this is with the aid of the ranking of it,” he said. “At Mercyhurst, we care about our students. They are our number one priority always. Aid is something we always provide. It is something we really work hard at.”

This is also supported by Joseph Howard, vice president for enrollment.

“Mercyhurst has always been known to provide financial aid to students who need it. It is part of our mercy values. President (Michael T.) Victor has also worked on keeping the tuition increases down overall,” Howard said.

According to LendEDU, Mercyhurst is 10th lowest out of 97 other Pennsylvania schools for the amount of debt a student incurs while attending.

Along with this great ranking for loans, Mercyhurst has also created avenues to educate students on their debt.

“Last year, our student financial aid created SALT. It promotes financial literacy for students to educate themselves on loan debt, credit card debt, etc., ” said Howard.

As well as the previous recognition of being a “Best Value” institute, Mercyhurst was also named one of the schools being “Best Schools for Veterans” as well as “Most International Students.” The percent of international students at Mercyhurst is 11 percent. This shows that the student body is diverse.

The strength and capabilities of students at Mercyhurst were further stressed by Dausey.

“We have strong students that set us apart from others. One in eight students of this freshman class were 4.0 students. I think we train students who are designed to change the world, communities, attitudes and lives. That empowerment that students have when they leave shows in the world.”

Howard noted the overall tone of Mercyhurst.

“There is charism in culture at Mercyhurst that is remarkably different at other universities. I think that contributes to transforming students’ lives.”