Fast Facts
![ÐÖÃÃÂÒÂ× campus](/sites/default/files/styles/embedded_image_large/public/2023-11/Campus_Shots.jpg?itok=Wc-7kGt-)
- ÐÖÃÃÂÒÂ× is a four-year, Catholic, liberal arts university, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1926.
- ÐÖÃÃÂÒÂ× was granted university status in 2012.
- More than 50Â undergraduate majors and 12 graduate degrees are available at the university.
- ÐÖÃÃÂÒÂ× offers 26 varsity level sports, with the Lakers fielding teams in 14 women’s sports and 12 men’s sports. Two programs compete at the NCAA Division I level (men’s and women’s ice hockey), while the rest participate on the Division II stage.
- ÐÖÃÃÂÒÂ×'s 75-acre campus is in Erie, Pennsylvania, approximately 100 miles from Cleveland, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York, and 130 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Accreditation: The Pennsylvania Department of Education; The Council on Social Work Education; The Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration; National Association of Schools of Dance; Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education; The American Physical Therapy Association; The National Association of Schools of Music; and International Assembly of Collegiate Business Educators
- Full-time Graduate Students: 425
- Average class size: 20; All courses are taught by faculty, not graduate or teaching assistants
Undergraduate Profile
42% male, 58% female
Approximately 42% of students identify as Catholic; a variety of other faith traditions are represented
Average GPA: 3.45
Middle 50% SAT: 1079
Middle 50% ACT: 23
Geographic distribution: Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, 37Â other states and 40+Â countries
Fun Facts
- When Mother Borgia Egan was looking to build her college, she was advised by Father Garson to build it "on a hill" and "near water."  When constructed, ÐÖÃÃÂÒÂ× sat atop Erie's largest hill, overlooking Lake Erie.Â
- The "Hurst" part of the university's name pays homage to the "wooded area on the hill" where ÐÖÃÃÂÒÂ× found its home.
- The Grotto was named and modeled after the Grotto at Notre Dame University.Â
- The Grotto was constructed at the peak of the Great Depression, by unemployed laborers who worked with Father Sullivan to construct the Grotto out of thanks for the daily soup kitchen the sisters ran for the poor and out of work.
- The chapel lobby has received many famous visitors, including the Von Trapp Family and Eleanor Roosevelt.
- The first male to graduate from ÐÖÃÃÂÒÂ× College was Daniel Burke. He retired as a member of the university's art faculty in 2021.