Save the date for our Open House Sunday, November 1 from noon-3pm. All 6th, 7th, and 8th graders as well as students interested in transferring are invited!

You will receive a guided tour from an MPS student, get the chance to meet all of our teachers and coaches, explore the classes and programs we have to offer, and learn what it means to be a Laker! We hope to see you there!

8th graders interested in applying for the 2027-2028 school year:

1. Submit your application by Thursday, November 12th to apply for early admission.
2. Register for the Mercyhurst Prep HSPT Entrance Exam hosted here, at MPS on Saturday, November 14 at 9am.
3. Schedule your Laker Shadow Experience so you can see what a day at MPS is like.
4. Submit all applications for scholarships and financial aid by March 1, 2027.

*Applications and registration links will be available here this October!

Have a question about our admissions process? Please contact Mrs. Allison Orlando, our admissions director, at 814.824.2323 or by email.

Your step-by-step guide to making a Mercyhurst Prep education affordable for your family.

Mercyhurst Preparatory School financial aid is available to assist low- and middle-income families in affording a Mercy Catholic education. MPS uses the independent services of FACTS to process applications and determine need.

Watch a video about our New Tuition Model and EITC Program.

Letter to Parents

Step-By-Step Guide Financial Assistance & Scholarships and How to Apply

Practical limitations due to resources and logistics make it impossible to accept all applicants. Therefore, the process outlined below is followed in an effort to ensure fair standards for admission.

All applicants to MPS are asked to submit grade reports from previous years, any standardized test scores, attendance records, health records and proof of required PA immunizations, and results of any educational or psychological testing performed.  Families are also asked to disclose the disciplinary history of the student.  Students with serious disciplinary issues at their current or previous school or with civil authorities may be denied acceptance on that basis.

A counselor from Mercyhurst Prep meets with current or previous teachers of applicants to ninth grade to review applications whenever possible.  Applicants to grade nine also sit for a placement test that reports both cognitive and achievement scores.

All of the above information is combined with the school counselor and principal’s knowledge of the MPS curriculum and past performance of the prospective student to reach a decision.  At this point in the process, the applicant can be:

• Accepted Outright for placement at Mercyhurst Preparatory School
• Not Accepted for placement
• Accepted Conditionally for placement (based upon acceptable performance in summer school classes and in the freshman year at Mercyhurst Prep)

A final decision can also be postponed until further grade/performance reports become available.

Students applying for a transfer into the 10^th and 11^th grades follow the same pattern with the exception of the placement test. When further information is needed to reach a decision, the principal or school counselor from the applicant’s current school is contacted.  Mercyhurst Prep generally accepts 12th grade transfer students only if they are transferring from a school from outside of the Erie area or in situations that bring unique considerations.

Mercyhurst Preparatory School admits students of any race, creed, color, or national origin without discrimination. When any student applies for admission to Mercyhurst Preparatory School, every effort is made to determine whether the school offers an educational program which will allow that student to develop in all ways:  intellectually, socially, spiritually, emotionally, physically.  The school will accept students with disabilities if, with reasonable accommodations, the individual can perform the tasks necessary to succeed.