Students, faculty and alumni have many reasons to call Mercyhurst home. The academics are stellar, you have the opportunity to make lifelong friendships, there are traditions such as Hurst Day that no other school can match; the list can go on and on.

Now Mercyhurst has another item to add to the list, it has been ranked by US News & World Report as one of the Best Value Schools as well as one of the Best Colleges for Veterans.

This is a list that includes major colleges and universities, ranging from UCLA and Princeton to the University of Florida and University of Texas. It is a major deal that Mercyhurst has made it onto this list.

When choosing schools for the list, U.S. News considers 17 metrics when ranking schools for academic excellence, placing the largest emphasis on a college’s ability to retain and graduate its students.

Other factors include class size, undergraduate academic reputation, how much a school spends per student on instruction and other related educational expenses.

Additionally, schools ranked among the “Best Colleges for Veterans” must achieve separate criteria, according to U.S. News & World Report. The following must be achieved to rank: Be certified for the GI Bill, participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, enroll a minimum of 20 veterans and active service members and be in the top half of its U.S. News ranking category.

For the 2022 list, Mercyhurst’s overall ranking was #50 out of 136 institutions in the top tier of Regional Universities in the North, as well as #71 in the Best Value category and #15 among Best Schools for Veterans.

“Our continued recognition as one of the best regional universities in the North is a reflection of Mercyhurst University’s commitment to academic excellence and student success,” said President Kathleen A. Getz, Ph.D. in a press release issued by the university. “This acknowledgment is a result of the hard work by our faculty, staff and students who every day serve as champions of our mission.”

To add on to these accolades, Mercyhurst is one of only two schools in Pennsylvania to be named a “Purple Heart University” for its services and programming for veterans and their families.

Furthermore, Mercyhurst is one of only three schools in Pennsylvania to be a host school for the “Troops to Teachers” program, which was established in 1993 to assist transitioning service members and veterans in beginning new careers as K12 teachers.

Congratulations to Mercyhurst on these accomplishments!