College ROI

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Mercyhurst University

Erie, PA 2,191 Undergrads 65.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$59,557
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$19,444
After Aid
Median Earnings
$57,293
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$19,444
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$57,293
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$47,452
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate65.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.1
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients31.6%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time96.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS65.9%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
81.0%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

ROI Sensitivity Analysis
Assuming 4 Years to Graduation

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$514k
+$47k
+$29k
Median Cost$19k/yr
+$444k
-$23k
-$41k
Full Cost$60k/yr
+$300k
-$167k
-$185k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
43
∞
Median Cost$19k/yr
Never
-58%
Full Cost$60k/yr
Never
-86%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
  • Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
  • Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
  • NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return-68%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return-82%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis

Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,980
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,073
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$45,013
Natl Median: $42,269
Lifetime Value Added
-$37k
Biology, General
AssocCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,758
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$12,000
Earnings (4yr)
$40,802
Natl Median: $48,733
Lifetime Value Added
-$79k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,472
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,246
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$12,000
Earnings (4yr)
$42,983
Natl Median: $46,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$57k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,099
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$12,000
Earnings (5yr)
$37,195
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
-$123k
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$77,864
Natl Median: $80,813
Lifetime Value Added
+$271k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $37,656
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$86,596
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$186k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Archeology
BachCIP: 4503
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,748
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$65,000
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$21k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$72,411
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$78k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (2yr)
$31,305
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
-$250k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (5yr)
$50,801
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$102k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$52,107
Natl Median: $83,541
Lifetime Value Added
-$66k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,063
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,902
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$60k
Dance
BachCIP: 5003
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$41,049
Natl Median: $39,980
Lifetime Value Added
-$177k
Median Debt
$26,836
Earnings (4yr)
$45,411
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$139k
Education, Other
BachCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,113
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,500
Earnings (5yr)
$41,434
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$180k
Median Debt
$26,269
Earnings (4yr)
$63,128
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$6k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,299
Earnings (4yr)
$83,812
Natl Median: $61,296
Lifetime Value Added
+$165k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,812
Natl Median: $56,726
Lifetime Value Added
-$69k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,500
Earnings (4yr)
$86,597
Natl Median: $75,803
Lifetime Value Added
+$186k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$27,439
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$285k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$74,187
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$92k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,750
Earnings (4yr)
$47,652
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$120k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,172
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,500
Earnings (4yr)
$76,154
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$107k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$26,153
Earnings (4yr)
$43,694
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$154k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,182
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$66k
Median Debt
$35,883
Earnings (2yr)
$60,771
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$7k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,792
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$55,665
Natl Median: $57,805
Lifetime Value Added
-$54k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,923
Earnings (4yr)
$49,638
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$104k
Median Debt
$26,950
Earnings (4yr)
$61,066
Natl Median: $59,631
Lifetime Value Added
-$10k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$134,666
Earnings (4yr)
$124,378
Natl Median: $127,347
Lifetime Value Added
+$417k
Anthropology
MastCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,276
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$58,112
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$166k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$41,565
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$308k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$107,254
Natl Median: $107,835
Lifetime Value Added
+$268k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $138,309
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$18,584
Earnings (4yr)
$51,575
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$227k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$50,399
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$239k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $94,506
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $107,274
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate (for undergraduate programs) or a median bachelor's degree holder (for graduate programs), accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate decision moving forward. Note that the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition. These Lifetime Value Added results for graduate degrees should not be compared with those for Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors.

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.