Mercer County
Community College
Public Community College in West Windsor, NJ. Six-year graduation rate 25%. Median 10-year earnings $43,264.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $43,264 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Completion is the weak point: 25% graduate within six years. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $10,500.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.24 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 1.0 — limited economic uplift documented
- ! Graduation rate 25% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 25% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. 67% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. Transfer-out runs to 17% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Retention drops to 48% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,169 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $5,475 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $4,017 while those at $110k+ pay $12,545. Grant aid is limited — 46% of students receive any. 16% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 723 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $4,017 |
| $30–48k | $4,152 |
| $48–75k | $6,674 |
| $75–110k | $9,607 |
| $110k+ | $12,545 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 818 of these 5,169 students, totalling $4,722,625 — an average of $5,773 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Mercer County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)