10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$230,350at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Merced College
⌖ Merced, CA · 11 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$230,350 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
Not availableModeled economic break-even
−115%Modeled 10-year ROI
$41,981Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Merced College
What does Merced College cost?
Merced College reports an average annual net price of $5,040 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Merced College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $41,981 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Merced College graduates have?
Median federal debt for completer borrowers is not reportable in the current record.
Is every degree at Merced College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 11 field-and-credential outcomes at Merced College; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$210,190
$5,000Current college-wide context−$230,190
$8,000Annual price−$242,190
$16,000Annual price−$274,190
$24,000Annual price−$306,190
$32,000Annual price−$338,190
$40,000Annual price−$370,190
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- Main award level
- Certificates
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$5,040Average net price / year
$14,485Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$41,981Median earnings · year 5 after completion
35.7%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
10,001Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
39% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
Borrower count not reportedMedian federal student debt
Three-year repayment not reportedStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$36,062Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$41,697Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$45,385Earnings are not a guarantee
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$41,477Year 1
$51,136Year 4
$41,981Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$118,7232Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$90,3353Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Associate's Degree$59,1784Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$57,5875Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$49,7686Criminal Justice and Corrections · Associate's Degree$45,1517Precision Metal Working · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$44,9268Sociology · Associate's Degree$41,486Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $90,335 reported+57%vs same-degree national median$11,150federal debt2Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $118,723 reported+47%vs same-degree national median$12,750federal debt3Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $57,587 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$6,250federal debt4Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree · $49,768 reported+2%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's Degree · $45,151 reported-3%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Social Sciences, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $41,246 reported-4%vs same-degree national median$7,843federal debt
Comparable colleges in CA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Glendora, CA
Citrus College
- Annual net price
- $4,135
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $42,405
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -113%
Los Angeles Southwest College
- Annual net price
- $5,964
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $42,481
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -112%
Norco College
- Annual net price
- $5,169
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,887
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -106%
Cuyamaca College
- Annual net price
- $6,618
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $41,432
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -117%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $118,723 | $12,750 | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $90,335 | $11,150 | 24 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Associate's Degree | $59,178 | Not available | Not reported |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $57,587 | $6,250 | 2 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $49,768 | Not available | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $45,151 | Not available | Not reported |
| Precision Metal Working | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $44,926 | Not available | 13 |
| Sociology | Associate's Degree | $41,486 | Not available | Not reported |
| Social Sciences, General | Associate's Degree | $41,246 | $7,843 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $39,525 | $9,300 | 860 |
| Psychology, General | Associate's Degree | $37,188 | $6,849 | Not reported |
Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.