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Career outcomes brief

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# Mercyhurst University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do Mercyhurst University graduates earn?

The reported median is $57,293 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$10,957 per year.

Mercyhurst University's strongest pillar is affordability; return is uneven. Azimuth puts its return pillar in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $7,660 less than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations result, the gap between graduate earnings and the model's expectation for similar students, is in the 26th 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 $450. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,110.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $822. Median earnings are $57,293 four years after completion, in the 40th percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, with Mercyhurst $10,957 below it. The model result and peer comparison both point below.

Program choice accounts for a broad modeled range, from a downside earnings scenario of $47,354 to an upside scenario of $86,141 four years after completion. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups.

At the higher end, Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations has median earnings of $86,597, Accounting reaches $86,596, and Health Sciences reaches $83,812 four years after completion. Those program medians show why the schoolwide range is broad.

An estimated 23.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings include completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate matters when reading the reported median because those pursuing further study are outside that earnings measure.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$57,293

**Rank for difference from expectations**
26th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Mercyhurst University reported median**
$57,293

**Peer schools comparable schools · $10,957 above Mercyhurst University**
$68,250

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $7,660 above Mercyhurst University**
$64,953

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 $47,354 to $86,141, around the reported median of $57,293. Compare the lower scenario with [Mercyhurst University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/mercyhurst-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**
$47,354

**Median · reported**
$57,293

**Higher estimate**
$86,141

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 Mercyhurst 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).

Mercyhurst University graduates’ reported earnings are $7,660 below that expectation, the 26th 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 Mercyhurst 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.**
+$450

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$8,110

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$7,660

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

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

At Mercyhurst University, four-year earnings vary markedly across programs, separating higher-earning options from more moderate ones. Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations recorded median earnings of $86,597 four years after completion, alongside 86 degrees awarded.

Health Sciences followed with $83,812 in median earnings and 19 degrees awarded. The more moderate figures among large programs appear in Criminal Justice, with median earnings of $54,902 and 35 degrees awarded, and Design and Applied Arts, with $45,411 and 22 degrees awarded.

These fields show why the schoolwide earnings figure can conceal substantially different outcomes by program.

Program outcomes vary widely at Mercyhurst University, making the field choice especially important for interpreting the school-level earnings picture. Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations awarded 86 degrees and had median earnings of $86,597 four years after completion.

Accounting awarded 11 degrees, with median earnings of $86,596 at the same point. Health Sciences awarded 19 degrees and showed median earnings of $83,812 four years after completion.

Political Science awarded 5 degrees, with $76,154 in median earnings. Those field-level results show a much wider range than a single schoolwide figure can convey.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations**
$86,597

**Accounting and Related Services**
$86,596

**Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General**
$83,812

**Political Science and Government**
$76,154

**Marketing**
$74,187

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$72,411

**Biology, General**
$65,000

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
$63,128

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

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix place downside earnings at $47,354, typical earnings at $57,293, and upside earnings at $86,141. Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations reaches $86,597 four years after completion, while Design and Applied Arts is at $45,411. The spread shows substantial variation by field.

At Mercyhurst University, graduates earn about $7,660 less than the model expects for similar students. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $57,293, a figure Azimuth places in the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort includes 786 completers. [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 modeled rather than a direct comparison with another student group.

The earnings scenarios, based on program mix, run from a downside of $47,354 to an upside of $86,141; the typical scenario matches the observed median. An estimated 23.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The scenario range and graduate-study estimate give context alongside the observed median.

## 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/).