+20%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Merced College rose 20% between 2007 and 2010 ($548 → $658).
California · Public · Predominantly associate's
Merced College
Merced, California. 9,677 undergraduate students. 104 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Merced College
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-17%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at Merced College fell 16% between 2009 and 2010 (5.1% → 4.3%).
+15%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Merced College rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($7.4k → $8.5k).
-13%
150%-time completion
150%-time completion at Merced College fell 13% between 2007 and 2010 (16.6% → 14.4%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. California
Each tile compares this institution to the California median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$37,815+20% · 6→10y
California median $42,588$31,468
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry29.1%-67% · '97→'10
California median 61.3%$4,188
At program completion9,677+77% · '96→'10
latest IPEDS62.8%-0% · '04→'10
first-time, full-time—
latest cohort$1,194+130% · '00→'10
out-of-state $8,154SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
1.5%Median federal debt $4,188 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $37,815 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
-67%
Merced College · completion · 150% fell
43.9% → 14.4%
+77%
Merced College · undergrad enrollment rose
5,687 → 10,059
+37%
Merced College · in-state tuition rose
$286 → $658
+157%
Merced College · out-of-state tuition rose
$3,312 → $8,520
+57%
Merced College · pell share rose
28.2% → 44.2%
+40%
Merced College · earnings_median_8yr rose
$25,000 → $34,933
+41%
Merced College · earnings_median_6yr rose
$22,300 → $31,468
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$114,563Business/Commerce, General.$47,147Health/Medical Preparatory Programs.$46,318Business Administration, Management and Operations.$41,926Criminal Justice and Corrections.$41,676Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.$35,817Social Sciences, General.$34,085Psychology, General.$32,072Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.$27,793Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services.$21,220
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
10 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in California
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Merced College graduates earn $X” — not “Merced College makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Merced College caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.