Samuel Merritt University
Private College in Oakland, CA. Median 10-year earnings $143,238.
A decade after enrolling, the median Samuel Merritt University student earns $143,238 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $20,825, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.15 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
This institution reports no six-year graduation rate. The federal measure only follows first-time, full-time students, so schools built around part-time or transfer enrollment often fall outside it entirely. A 5:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. This is a private nonprofit four-year college, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically. This is a small school — 741 undergraduates — so cohorts are tight and the program list is necessarily short.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 712 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
One gap to flag: this institution does not report an average net price, so the figures here describe who receives aid rather than what a year actually costs. Use the school's own net price calculator before comparing it against anywhere else. 77% of students receive grant aid, averaging $13,157 — common but not automatic. Borrowing is widespread: 95% take federal loans.
Federal student loans went to 677 of these 712 students, totalling $7,809,530 — an average of $11,535 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Alameda 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)