by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at Mercer University, spanning what it costs to attend, projected costs over a degree, net price, debt outcomes, and aid equity.
Use the section links below to navigate this overview:
The cost of attendance at Mercer University amounts to about $56,494.00 a year.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $42,312.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $14,182.00 |
| Total cost | $56,494.00 |
| That is 72% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $56,494.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$34,357.00 |
| Net price | $22,137.00 |
| That is 33% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $56,494.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$38,387.00 |
| Net price | $18,107.00 |
| That is 45% below the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with the tuition & fees page and living costs. |
Cost of attendance here has been rising at a recent average of 3.0% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. The projections below run a full degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and the full sticker price. Loan figures amortise the projected total over ten years at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Freshman year | $18,646.00 | $22,796.00 | $58,177.00 |
| Senior year | $20,363.00 | $24,895.00 | $63,533.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $77,985.00 | $95,342.00 | $243,315.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $29,710.00 | $36,322.00 | $92,694.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $897.00 | $1,097.00 | $2,800.00 |
| Total amount paid | $107,695.00 | $131,664.00 | $336,009.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Freshman year | $18,646.00 | $22,796.00 | $58,177.00 |
| Senior year | $19,202.00 | $23,476.00 | $59,910.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $37,848.00 | $46,272.00 | $118,087.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $14,419.00 | $17,628.00 | $44,987.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $436.00 | $533.00 | $1,359.00 |
| Total amount paid | $52,267.00 | $63,900.00 | $163,074.00 |
Read more in the net price section below.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $23,847.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $22,350.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $18,650.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $20,919.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $22,627.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $24,610.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $26,399.00 |
Use Mercer University Net Price Calculator, or get in touch with the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid page.
Median graduate debt at Mercer University amounts to $17,655.00, which federal data classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-burden bucket.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $4,904.00 |
| 25th | $9,750.00 |
| Median (50th) | $17,655.00 |
| 75th | $31,000.00 |
| 90th | $41,975.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student loan debt page.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. The table below divides borrowers into three income tiers:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,538.00 |
| Middle income | $18,500.00 |
| High income | $15,750.00 |
On average, low-income graduates leave with $2,788.00 in extra median debt compared with high-income peers.
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,352.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,500.00 |
First-generation borrowers from Mercer University carry $1,852.00 in additional median debt versus continuing-generation peers.
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. Pell vs non-Pell comparisons surface how debt breaks down by need.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at Mercer University is $7,304.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The Department of Education default-rate tier for Mercer University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 5.1% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at Mercer University amount to $1,577,700,430.00 covering 37,834 borrowers.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 221 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $13,878.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 43 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,389.00 |
For the full rundown of veteran and military benefits, see the veterans benefits detail.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through Mercer University, keep these questions in mind:
For a closer look at any of these topics, follow the links below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.