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Career outcomes brief

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# Mercer University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/mercer-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/mercer-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/mercer-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/mercer-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/mercer-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do Mercer University graduates earn?

The reported median is $71,870 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $3,620 per year.

Mercer University offers a comparatively strong return picture, with earnings above its peer benchmark four years after completion. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,977 more than the model expects for similar students. That [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,053. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,076.

Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $71,870 four years after completion, placing earnings in the 79th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, and Mercer University is $3,620 above it. Above-peer earnings and higher-than-expected earnings point the same way.

Mercer University has a wide modeled earnings range across its program mix, from a downside scenario of $50,941 to an upside scenario of $86,658 four years after completion. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

Among higher-earning fields, Engineering has median earnings of $88,413 four years after completion, Nursing posts $85,030, and Computer and Information Sciences reaches $80,937. Those field medians coincide with the broad spread in the earnings scenarios.

Further study is relevant when reading Mercer University's earnings figure. An estimated 31.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

The earnings measure covers completers who are working and not enrolled four years after completion, so those continuing study are outside that snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$71,870

**Rank for difference from expectations**
68th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Mercer University reported median**
$71,870

**Peer schools comparable schools · $3,620 below Mercer University**
$68,250

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $3,977 below Mercer University**
$67,893

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $50,941 to $86,658, around the reported median of $71,870. Compare the lower scenario with [Mercer University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/mercer-university/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$50,941

**Median · reported**
$71,870

**Higher estimate**
$86,658

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do Mercer University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

Mercer University graduates’ reported earnings are $3,977 above that expectation, the 68th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Mercer University caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$8,053

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$4,076

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$3,977

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at Mercer University report the highest earnings?

Mercer University’s largest programs split clearly between higher earnings in technical and health fields and more moderate results elsewhere four years after completion. Engineering recorded median earnings of $88,413 and 131 degrees awarded in one academic year.

Nursing paired $85,030 in median earnings with 217 degrees awarded. At the more moderate end, Marketing had median earnings of $71,629 across 62 degrees awarded, while Psychology recorded $51,723 and 84 degrees awarded.

The contrast shows that the earnings picture varies substantially by field among the university’s larger programs.

Health Professions accounts for 24.6% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, giving the program mix a clear health-oriented center. Among the largest fields, Nursing awarded 217 degrees and had median earnings of $85,030 four years after completion.

Engineering awarded 131 degrees, with median earnings of $88,413 four years after completion. Psychology awarded 84 degrees and had median earnings of $51,723 four years after completion.

Teacher Education awarded 77 degrees, with median earnings of $51,513 four years after completion. Marketing awarded 62 degrees and had median earnings of $71,629 four years after completion.

The largest fields span markedly different earnings levels, so the intended field matters when reading the university-wide outcome.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Engineering, General**
$88,413

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$85,030

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
$80,937

**Business/Commerce, General**
$77,713

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$75,835

**Accounting and Related Services**
$75,529

**Marketing**
$71,629

**Criminal Justice and Corrections**
$71,602

[Explore Mercer University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/mercer-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Engineering is the highest-earning large program at $88,413 four years after completion, versus Teacher Education at $51,513. Program-mix scenarios place downside earnings at $50,941, typical earnings at $71,870, and upside earnings at $86,658. That range shows that the earnings picture varies substantially by field.

Mercer University posts median earnings of $71,870 four years after completion among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. The earnings measure draws on a cohort of 1,683 completers.

Azimuth places the measure in the 79th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offers another lens.

Graduates earn about $3,977 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios from the program mix run from $50,941 on the downside to $86,658 on the upside; the typical scenario aligns with the observed median.

An estimated 31.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The above-expected earnings result and the typical scenario point in the same direction.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).