Business & Finance
Graduates of Samuel Merritt University outpace Ivy League alums in median earnings
The small Oakland-based health sciences school ranks third in the nation for post-graduation pay, driven by California's high wages for healthcare professionals.
The short version
- Graduates of Samuel Merritt University, a small health-sciences institution in Oakland, California, have a median income of $148,182 four years after graduation.
- This median earning figure ranks the university third in the nation, outpacing graduates from Stanford, Harvard, and other Ivy League schools.
- The high earnings are driven by the school's focus on nursing and healthcare, combined with its location in the high-wage, high-cost Bay Area.
Key facts
- According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, Samuel Merritt University ranks third in the United States for graduate earnings four years after graduation.[Business Insider]
- Alumni of the university, which has fewer than 1,000 undergraduate students, report a median income of $148,182.[Business Insider]
- Students in the school's primary nursing bachelor's program graduate with an average of $20,000 in federal student loan debt.[Business Insider]
- Registered nurses in California earned an average of $150,280 in 2025, the highest average salary for the profession of any state in the country.[Business Insider]