10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$230,350at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Merced College
⌖ Merced, CA · 11 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$230,350 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.
—Modeled economic break-even
−115%Modeled 10-year ROI
$41,981Observed earnings · year 5
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
Cost, completion and earnings context
$5,040Average net price / year
$14,485Cost of attendance
$41,981Median earnings · year 5 after completion
35.7%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
10,001Student size
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$41,477Year 1
$51,136Year 4
$41,981Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$118,7232Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$90,3353Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Associate's Degree$59,1784Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$57,5875Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$49,7686Criminal Justice and Corrections · Associate's Degree$45,1517Precision Metal Working · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$44,9268Sociology · Associate's Degree$41,486Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Comparable colleges in CA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.
Glendora, CA
Citrus College
- Annual net price
- $4,135
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $42,405
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -113%
Los Angeles Southwest College
- Annual net price
- $5,964
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $42,481
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -112%
Norco College
- Annual net price
- $5,169
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,887
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -106%
Cuyamaca College
- Annual net price
- $6,618
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $41,432
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -117%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $118,723 | $12,750 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $90,335 | $11,150 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Associate's Degree | $59,178 | Not available |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $57,587 | $6,250 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $49,768 | Not available |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $45,151 | Not available |
| Precision Metal Working | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $44,926 | Not available |
| Sociology | Associate's Degree | $41,486 | Not available |
| Social Sciences, General | Associate's Degree | $41,246 | $7,843 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $39,525 | $9,300 |
| Psychology, General | Associate's Degree | $37,188 | $6,849 |
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.