Student Consumer Information

��'s academic calendars for current and future semesters can be found on our Academic Calendars webpage.

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The university's Undergraduate Programs page, Graduate Programs page, and Associate Programs page include details and requirements of each program.

�� University is committed to making reasonable accommodation(s) for qualified students and employees with disabilities as required by law.

Please review the �� Accommodations Policy for instructions to request reasonable accommodation(s).

Students and/or Employees can make accommodation requests by completing the .

Supporting documentation must be submitted for requests to be considered. The university recognizes that every person has their own unique path regardless of their disability status or diagnosis. This may involve working with various medical, mental health, and educational professionals. We accept documentation from a wide range of professionals and in many different forms. This helps us remove barriers to access and take an individualized and holistic approach to provide support. Please refer to the �� Accommodations Policy for the minimum criteria that all documentation must meet to be considered or one of the following forms may be completed and submitted (as applicable):

Student Disability Verification Form
Employee Medical Information Request and Verification Form

Both of the above forms are available upon request by emailing ada@mercyhurst.edu. ��

For questions regarding the accommodation process, inquiries regarding the �� University Assistance Animal Policy or if you are experiencing a barrier to access on any of our website locations, please contact ADA Coordinator Susan Reddinger by email at ada@mercyhurst.edu, by phone at 814-824-2362, or by fax 814-824-2020.

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The university's annual campus security report provides information concerning safety and security on campus. Each federally funded educational institution is required to post information concerning crime prevention, campus safety and security, crime statistics, and other security information on an annual basis.

The university's Banking Services Agreement provides information on the university's collaboration with PNC Bank that allows for �� students to have access to Virtual Wallet Student bank account.��

The Board of Trustees of �� University recognizes that ensuring the integrity of the student financial aid process is critical to providing fair and affordable access to higher education. These guidelines are designed to avoid any potential for a conflict of interest between the university, its students or their parents in the student financial aid process. The university's Student Loan Code of Conduct provides more information about this.

Consumer information about each institution is posted on the for student accessibility.

Copyright infringement laws are put in place to protect the original works of authors or creators. These original works cannot be reproduced, distributed, performed, or publicly displayed without the author’s permission. The university's Copyright Guide provides information on ��'s copyright policy.

Each year �� develops student expense budgets (cost of attendance), using U.S. Dept. of Education guidelines. These are used to determine students' financial need at ��. Students’ expense budgets include approximate tuition and fee costs as well as allowances for the cost of books and supplies, transportation, food, housing and personal expenses. These expense budgets represent the maximum amount of financial aid that students may receive from all sources, including student loans. ��Published costs reflect the "typical" enrollment pattern of an average student. Additional costs may be incurred for certain programs, courses, labs, accommodations, travel experiences, etc. The university's cost of attendance is broken down by undergraduate cost of attendance and graduate cost of attendance.

The Police and Safety Department must maintain a daily crime log, which lists all crimes reported to the Police and Safety Department that are committed on campus and on public grounds immediately adjacent to the campus. The crime log must contain information concerning the nature, date, time, and general location of each crime, and the disposition of the incident, if known. The crime log for the �� University Erie campus is maintained at the Police and Safety Office. �� University students, faculty, administrators, staff, and the general public can view the crime log anytime.

�� University was allocated up to $16,711,364 in federal relief funds authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). As a recipient of funding, the university is required to provide a series of disclosures:

Provided that the student's eligibility is confirmed, verification is completed, and the student's enrollment is verified on the census date, financial aid funds are disbursed electronically to the student's �� student account after the census date. The census date is the morning after Drop/Add as published in the official academic calendar. Disbursement continues on a daily basis thereafter through the end of the term or semester (for days in which the university is open for business). Refunds are issued approximately three weeks after the start of the term. ��

�� strives to create a safe learning environment for students and discourages the irresponsible use of alcohol, and drug abuse. There are policies and procedures in place to protect our students from the dangers involved with this type of activity and counseling services available to help those in need. Our annual campus security report provides more information on the incidence of these issues on campus.

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Students who borrow federal student loans are required to complete an entrance counseling session and an exit counseling session. Each session describes the financial responsibility the student will be undertaking, details about loan interest rates, and loan repayment options. Our entrance and exit loan counseling page provides more information on the university's resources for students who borrow federal student loans.

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Our Equity in Athletics report provides a customized reporting tool for public inquiries about equity in athletics. Each school must submit data annually to stay in compliance with the

The �� Evacuation and Emergency Notification policies and procedures can be found in the our annual campus security report.

The Financial Aid Office is required by federal statute to determine how much financial aid was earned by students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term.

For a student who withdraws after the 60% point-in-time, there are no unearned funds. However, a school must still complete a Return calculation in order to determine whether the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement. The calculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula:

Percentage of payment period or term completed is the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.

Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula:

Aid to be returned is (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.

If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. Keep in mind that when Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a balance to the institution.

If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement which must be paid within 120 days of the student's withdrawal.

The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 45 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student's withdrawal. Refunds are allocated in the following order:

Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans)
Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans
Federal Perkins Loans
Direct PLUS Loans
Federal Pell Grants for which a Return of funds is required
Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants for which a Return of funds is required
Other assistance under this Title for which a Return of funds is required

The information provided under the student section includes information about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). This federal law protects student privacy and provides for review and disclosure rights of the student’s records. The university's FERPA notices and discolusures provide more information on our specific FERPA policies.

General financial aid and verification forms are listed on our cost and financial aid webpage and updated annually.

Students may be eligible to utilize certain types of financial aid funds to study abroad for a semester or more while attending ��. There are limitations and certain criteria which must be fulfilled in advance if using financial aid to pay for a portion or all of the expenses abroad.

Our Study Abroad webpage provides more information on frequently asked questions associated with our study abroad program cost.

�� University, in accordance with federal tax disclosure regulations regarding the availability of Federal Form 990 and 990-T by tax-exempt organizations, will provide our financial, governing documents and Conflict of Interest Policy available to the public upon request by contacting the Director of Finance at 814-824-2390.

The fire log includes the nature of any fire, date and time of the fire, date the fire was reported and a general location of the fire. The fire log for the �� University Erie ��campus is maintained at the University Police Department. �� University students, faculty, administrators, staff and general public can view the fire log anytime. Our Annual Security and Fire Safety Report provides more information on our fire log.

The Fire Safety Report is combined with the Annual Clery Report and Fire Disclosure Report and includes information concerning fire safety and education, statistics, policies and procedures, the fire log, and other fire safety related information. Our annual campus security report provides more information on our fire safety report.��

The information provided under this section will allow students to access general information about �� University. This includes general school information, directions to the school, a campus map, as well as employee contact information.��

Our graduation rates table provides information on graduation rates �� University.

�� University makes every effort to create an environment that is fair, humane, and respectful for all students, faculty, and staff and works to ensure that academic and co-curricular activities enhance the growth and development of all students. Therefore, and in accordance with federal and state law, �� University prohibits hazing of any member of the �� community by any organization, student athletic team, group of students, or individual. Here you will find our��Anti-Hazing Policy, as well as a five-year report of all alleged hazing incidents.

2020-2021 Hazing Report
2021-2022 Hazing Report
2022-2023 Hazing Report
2023-2024 Hazing Report
2024-2025 Hazing Report

If a student fully withdraws from the university after a semester or term has begun, a percentage of tuition charged for that term or semester will be refunded as follows:

100% during the first week
80% the second week
70% the third week
60% the fourth week
0% the fifth week and beyond
For fees, a 100% refund will be given during the first week; and no fee refund thereafter.

Institutional financial aid will be reduced proportionally based on the percentage of tuition and registration fees refunded.��

�� uses a census date which is the final registration status the morning following the last day of the drop/add period. After the first week of the semester, there is no financial adjustment when a student drops from full-time to part-time.

�� adheres to the Federal Refund Policy for all students who receive Title IV Federal Funds. If a student completely withdraws from the university within the first 60% of the semester, all or a portion of federal aid may be returned. These policies are outlined in the �� Catalog or can be obtained by contacting the U.S. Department of Education.

If payment is not made by the due date, or satisfactory payment arrangements are not made with the Office of Student Financial Services by the bill due date, a late payment fee of up to $300 will be applied to your account, your account will be placed on Business Office hold, and you may be deregistered from your courses. You will not be able to make changes to your registration, register for any additional courses, or receive grades/transcripts. Your balance must be paid in full by the specified semester due date.��

Past Due Balance	Late Fee Amount
$200 - $999	$25
$1,000 - $1,499	$50
$1,500 - $1,999	$75
$2,000 - $3,499	$150
$3,500 - $4,999	$200
$5,000 - $5,999	$250
$6,000 and up	$300

�� University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and The Pennsylvania Department of Education to award ��associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

The contact information for MSCHE and other accreditation entities can be found below in the event a student wants to file a complaint or grievance against the university.

Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West
Philadelphia, PA 19104
267-284-5000

info@msche.org

PA Department of Education
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17126
tel:717-783-6788

In addition, the university strives to achieve specialized accreditation for all its eligible programs. Certain programs/units with specialized accreditation from professional accrediting agencies (non-state government agencies) can be viewed on our University Accreditation webpage.

Applicants or students interested in reviewing specific accreditation or licensure documents and materials may contact Associate Vice President for Curriculum and Instruction Florentine Hoelker at fhoelker@mercyhurst.edu or 814-824-2023.

Any individual on campus who has information that a resident student may be a missing person must notify the Office of Police and Safety as soon as possible. Note: In order to avoid jurisdictional conflicts when an off-campus and/or commuter student is believed to be missing, the reporting person should immediately notify local law enforcement authorities. The Office of Police and Safety will assist off campus authorities with these investigations as requested. Additional information on the Missing Student Policy can be found in the annual campus security report and Fire Disclosure Report.

The takes a user's answers to specific questions to calculate an estimated cost of attendance and expected financial aid.

Please review the university's Nondiscrimination Policy webpage for information regarding our nondscrimination policy.

Out-of-state online course refund policies are provided for students outside of the state of Pennsylvania that are enrolled in online classes.��

Documentation about teacher preparation programs can be found on the university's Accreditation webpage.��

The university's Protection of Minors Policy establishes guidelines on interactions within the university community for those under 18 years of age.

The retention rate is the percentage of students who enter the university one year and continue to the next.

The provides retention rate information for �� University.

All students must be making satisfactory academic progress at �� University to retain eligibility for student financial aid. For more information, please review the Catalogs and Calendar webpage.

The provides diversity information for �� University.

Every student deserves a positive educational experience. Sometimes a student’s experience may not be what they anticipate, and the student has the right to lodge a complaint or grievance. �� University will work to ensure that all concerns and complaints of students are addressed fairly and resolved promptly.

�� students studying within the blended and online environment and living out of state who have a concern or grievance related to his/her blended or online course should work to resolve any disputes or grievances with �� University. Only those complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities, and operations provided by SARA-participating institutions to students in other SARA states come under the scope of SARA. Complaints about a SARA institution’s in-state operations are to be resolved under the state’s normal provisions, not those of SARA.

Student complaints relating to consumer protection laws offered under the terms and conditions of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) must first be filed internally with the institution to seek resolution by contacting the Office of Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@mercyhurst.edu or by calling 814-824-2268.

SARA consumer protection provisions require the institution’s home state, through its SARA State Portal Entity, to investigate and resolve allegations of dishonest or fraudulent activity by the state’s SARA-participating institutions, including the provision of false or misleading information.

The student should begin the complaint process with the institution, and if a resolution is not found, the student would contact the institution’s��. The State Portal Entity is responsible for conducting the investigation and resolution of complaints that are not resolved at the institutional level.

Student grievances or complaints can arise related to matters involving academics, living arrangements, financial aid and billing, treatment by a person, group, or department, and other areas. ��The university has several mechanisms in place to address student grievances or complaints that may arise.

If a student has an academic concern related to a course, faculty member, or program, it is best to go to the professor first for resolution. The student can also ask for assistance from their academic or faculty advisor. If these initial attempts to resolve the dispute are not effective, the student should bring the issue to the Department Chair. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome at the level of the Department Chair, the student may bring the issue to the Associate Dean and/or Dean of their College. If the issue is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student should bring the issue to the Office of Academic Affairs. In cases where the student is not comfortable go

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Student Consumer Information

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