Doctoral · Oakland, California

Is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Samuel Merritt University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.4 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $185,724; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $157,955; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $128,576; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $136k (likely $136k – $136k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $88k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 2.4 years (likely 1.7–3.9); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $284k (likely −$40k – $668k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.13M (likely $494k – $1.87M); Today's dollars

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.