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University Status FAQs
What is "university status"?
In the United States, there is no specific definition of what makes a college different than a university. In general though, a college does one thing (usually offering four-year baccalaureate degrees) while a university does many things, including awarding graduate degrees.
During the last 15 years, Mercyhurst College has added multiple programs not usually offered by a traditional residential baccalaureate college. Mercyhurst is now home to more than 1,000 associate degree students and hundreds of students in six graduate programs. Mercyhurst also offers online and off-site graduate certificate programs in Northern Virginia. As a result of this growth, both the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and U.S.News & World Report have moved Mercyhurst from the “baccalaureate colleges” to “masters universities.” This reclassification was done without consultation with Mercyhurst and was based purely on the numbers, types of degrees offered, and what they presume those numbers say about the nature of Mercyhurst.
We believe the change in status aligns our public identity with the structure and breadth of academic programs already being offered at Mercyhurst.
How does a college become a university?
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, an institution must prepare a detailed and lengthy application. Mercyhurst had to show at least three separate "colleges" under the university umbrella and offer a mandatory minimum number of advanced degrees.
Will there be any significant changes to the operation and structure of Mercyhurst?
Overall the function of the organization will remain the same. However, the conceptual structure has changed.
The goal of Mercyhurst College (the traditional undergraduate, four-year, Erie campus) is not to grow in size, but to continue to increase its reputation through a commitment to small class sizes and faculty/student engagement. Also part of this shift is the expansion of the two-year, graduate and adult offerings including online and off-site programs. University status will position us to do this.
Simply stated, the total number of students enrolled at Mercyhurst University would continue to rise, but the enrollment at the college of baccalaurette studies would intentionally not increase over the next several years except through improvements in retention. The college of baccalaurette studies of today would not become bigger – we would just continue to become better while Mercyhurst University, as a whole, would become both bigger and better.
How will this transition affect Mercyhurst’s reputation, brand and recruitment?
The transition distinguishes the traditional, four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts college from the other entities, will will be vital and essential components of an emerging university.
In communication with prospective students, parents and guidance counselors, we will carefully explain what it means to be a small university with an emphasis on hands-on learning and a focus on faculty/student relationships. Our recruitment messages will emphasize that students gain the best of both worlds – a university quality education with the personal attention and flavor of a liberal arts college. Additionally, the name change would assist us in international recruitment— outside the U.S., “college” often means something more like high school, while “university” means true post-secondary education. The university title would clarify our offerings to this population.
More practically, the new university name requires Mercyhurst to develop a new logo and graphic design for use in its numerous publications, website and other forms of communication. This is an ongoing process and more details will be provided as we move forward to ensure we present an accurate and unified image of Mercyhurst.
Would the transition to “university status” affect Mercyhurst's national rankings?
Mercyhurst was reclassified in 2007 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a "Master's Colleges and Universities II" institution. Since that change, U.S.News & World Report has consistently ranked Mercyhurst in the top tier in the "Best Universities - Master's" category among Northern colleges and universities in the America's Best Colleges issue. Therefore, we don’t anticipate “university status” designation would directly impact our positive national rankings.
How long did it take for the transition to university status to occur?
Click here to view the completed events in the university status application process.
How can I find updates on the progress of the university transition?
New information on university status progress will be presented on these Web pages as well as in the "News" section of the website. You can also follow us on Facebook!
