Samuel Merritt University
Oakland, California · Website
$143,238
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$143,238
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Samuel Merritt University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Oakland, California with 718 undergraduates and 1,191 graduate students. Former students earn a median $143,238 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $20,825 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
-
A year, after grants
Tuition and fees
-
Admission rate
-
Completion rate
-
Median debt
$20,825
About $221 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$143,238
Rank 2 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
- Students with a need-based grant
- 18%
- Students with federal loans
- 91%
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Dollars a year
Admission and students
- Undergraduates
- 718
- Graduate students
- 1,191
- Part-time students
- 17%
- Women
- 83%
- Students per teacher
- 5
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 12
- Endowment
- $43.7M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | - | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | - | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | - | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | - | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $20,825 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $143,353 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $143,238 | $41,472 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 92% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 96% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
12 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 511 | $20,000 | $119,486 | $148,193 | $88,910 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 224 | $139,395 | $141,819 | $155,587 | $120,193 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 79 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| MedicineProfessional | Professional | 39 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 38 | $175,398 | $136,933 | $144,577 | $127,347 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingProfessional | Professional | 33 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 9 | Withheld | $78,495 | $90,854 | $71,416 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $126,911 |
| MedicineDoctoral | Doctoral | - | $244,534 | $67,061 | $165,829 | $118,504 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsDoctoral | Doctoral | - | $166,163 | $94,881 | $94,813 | $82,893 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingPost-bachelor certificate | Post-bachelor certificate | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $131,346 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingDoctoral | Doctoral | - | $142,137 | $136,861 | $147,055 | $138,131 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Oakland and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much do Samuel Merritt University graduates earn?
$143,238 a year is the median pay of former Samuel Merritt University students who work, 10 years after they started ($143,353 after 6 years). That ranks 2 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $141,819.
How much student debt do Samuel Merritt University graduates have?
$20,825 is the median federal student loan debt of Samuel Merritt University graduates, about $221 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 91% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What are the most popular majors at Samuel Merritt University?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (511 bachelor's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (224 master's graduates), Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (79 professional graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 12 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.