More selective than 54% of Georgia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $58,204. College Scorecard.
Higher than 89% of Georgia colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 93% of Georgia colleges we cover and 65% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Mercer University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 11,058 applicants, Mercer University admitted 7,349 and 1,015 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1160–1350 on the SAT or 25–31 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Mercer University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Mercer University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Mercer University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Georgia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $19,817 | $82,042 | 3.3 years |
| $30–48k | $21,484 | $88,944 | 3.6 years |
| $48–75k | $22,533 | $93,287 | 3.8 years |
| $75–110k | $25,184 | $104,262 | 4.2 years |
| $110k+ | $26,770 | $110,828 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (64% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($58,354) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in GA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $24,838 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Mercer University majors, earnings & careers
Mercer University offers 66 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 12
- Business & Finance · 10
- Science & Math · 7
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Technology & Computing · 6
- Arts & Design · 4
- Communications & Media · 3
- Engineering · 3
- Education · 2
Highest-earning majors at Mercer University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | $88,413 | $26,000 |
| Nursing | $85,030 | $29,161 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $80,937 | — |
| Business | $77,713 | $51,452 |
| Business Administration | $75,835 | — |
| Accounting | $75,529 | $27,000 |
| Marketing | $71,629 | $25,990 |
| Criminal Justice | $71,602 | $46,775 |
Quick list of all 66 majors
- Accounting$75,529
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$59,570
- Business$77,713
- Business Administration$75,835
- Chemistry$60,696
- Civil Engineering—
- Classics—
- Communications$52,530
- Computational Science—
- Computer and Information Sciences$80,937
- Computer Programming—
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice$71,602
- Criminology—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$51,513
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Engineering$88,413
- Engineering-Related Fields—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance$66,036
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Health Administration—
- History—
- Homeland Security—
- Human Resources$68,052
- Human Services$45,484
- Information Science / Studies—
- Information Technology—
- International / Global Studies—
- International Business—
- International Relations—
- Journalism$53,182
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$48,060
- Management Information Systems—
- Marketing$71,629
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$46,502
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$85,030
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$59,997
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$51,723
- Public Health$60,401
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Sciences—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$58,127
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Macon
Overall prices in the Macon-Bibb County, GA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,309. Housing costs 41% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 51 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Bibb County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Bibb County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Mercer University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Georgia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer University | 69% | $23,847 | 70% | $58,354 | This school |
| Berry College | 64% | $22,320 | 69% | $53,800 | |
| Clark Atlanta University | 64% | $37,702 | 49% | $42,712 | |
| Agnes Scott College | 62% | $24,754 | 71% | $56,274 | |
| Covenant College | 87% | $26,265 | 71% | $50,412 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Mercer University would cost you $1,527 more per year than Berry College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Mercer University, mostly from a higher estimate for personal & travel costs (+$640).
- Berry College gives aided families $20 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Georgia resident | Mercer University | Berry College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $42,312 | $41,686 | +$626 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,000 | +$200 |
| Housing & meals | $14,528 | $14,230 | +$298 |
| Personal & travel | $2,864 | $2,224 | +$640 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,700 | −$2,443 | −$257 |
| Sticker price | $58,204 | $56,697 | +$1,507 |
| Average grants | −$34,357 | −$34,377 | +$20 |
| You pay | $23,847 | $22,320 | +$1,527 |
“+” means Mercer University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Mercer University
What is the Mercer University acceptance rate?
Mercer University accepts 69% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 7,349 of 11,058 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1160–1350 on the SAT or 25–31 on the ACT.
How much does Mercer University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $58,204 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $23,847 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $19,817 and families earning $110k+ pay $26,770.
How much do Mercer University graduates earn?
Former Mercer University students earn a median $58,354 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Mercer University graduation rate?
70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 82% return for their second year.
How long does a Mercer University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Mercer University costs about $93,287 after grants ($22,533 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $58,354 ten years after starting, $24,838 more than high school graduates in Georgia ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 3.8 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Mercer University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/mercer-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).