Below is the data on what it actually costs to attend Samuel Merritt University, including attendance costs, projected four- and two-year degree costs, average net price, debt outcomes, and how aid is distributed across income levels.
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The typical debt load for borrowers leaving Samuel Merritt University works out to $20,825.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Moderate ($20-30k) debt-burden category.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $9,500.00 |
| 25th | $15,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $20,825.00 |
| 75th | $20,949.00 |
| 90th | $26,750.00 |
How far apart the 10th and 90th percentiles sit tells you how uneven debt outcomes are.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student loan debt page.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. The figures below split graduating borrowers into three income brackets:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,825.00 |
| Middle income | $20,825.00 |
| High income | $20,825.00 |
First-generation students frequently graduate with different debt than continuing-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,825.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,825.00 |
The Pell Grant is the main federal need-based award for undergraduates. Contrasting Pell and non-Pell borrowers shows how need shapes debt.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at Samuel Merritt University comes to $4,175.00. This institution is flagged by federal data for Pell-debt inequity.
The federal default-rate classification for Samuel Merritt University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 0.6% |
For scale, federal Stafford loan disbursements at Samuel Merritt University reach $426,498,822.00 covering 7,937 recipients.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs including the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance from the Department of Defense.
| GI Bill recipients | 8 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $27,716.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 1 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $4,500.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veterans benefits detail.
Beyond the data above, it helps to ask a few questions when weighing Samuel Merritt University, the questions below are worth your time:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
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.