10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$208,174at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Merritt College
⌖ Oakland, CA · 4 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$208,174 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
84.6 yrsModeled economic break-even
−88%Modeled 10-year ROI
$47,791Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
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.
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- Main award level
- Certificates
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$14,021Average net price / year
$21,424Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$47,791Median earnings · year 5 after completion
26.4%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
5,288Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
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
$37,929Year 1
$53,827Year 4
$47,791Year 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$138,2912Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services · Associate's Degree$51,0373Social Sciences, General · Associate's Degree$50,0014Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$47,306Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential—not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $138,291 reported+71%vs same-degree national median$11,500federal debt2Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $47,306 reported+52%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree · $51,037 reported+49%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Social Sciences, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $50,001 reported+16%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
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.
Arcata, CA
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
- Annual net price
- $13,171
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $48,458
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -85%
Los Angeles Harbor College
- Annual net price
- $13,250
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,870
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -92%
Lassen Community College
- Annual net price
- $12,517
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,367
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
Los Angeles Pierce College
- Annual net price
- $13,270
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,024
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -96%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $138,291 | $11,500 | Not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $51,037 | Not available | Not reported |
| Social Sciences, General | Associate's Degree | $50,001 | Not available | Not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $47,306 | Not available | 68 |
Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.
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.