Mercer University Public Health (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Public Health
- Private nonprofit university
- Macon, GA
- About 62 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Mercer University public health graduates earn less than graduates of most public health programs nationally, $27,108 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Georgia and national columns are the medians across all public health bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia public health program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Georgia medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 12.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
23 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $40,256.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
85% of graduates (28 of 33) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Macon area are about 11% below the national average, so a $27,108 salary here buys what about $30,621 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to public health, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Medical and Health Services Managers
$131,910Median pay in Georgia. 11,130 people work in this job in Georgia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 24% from 2025 to 2035, with about 62,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Compliance Officers
$70,200Median pay in Georgia. 14,390 people work in this job in Georgia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
$92,450Median pay in Georgia. 1,910 people work in this job in Georgia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
$85,450Median pay in Georgia. 3,220 people work in this job in Georgia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 19% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About Mercer University
Public Health ranks 13th of 16 bachelor's programs at Mercer University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,787), Engineering ($72,403), and Social Sciences ($61,612).
Other public health bachelor's programs near Macon
Common questions
The median graduate earns $27,108 one year after graduating. The median across public health bachelor's programs in Georgia is $34,761.
The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 7 public health bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 100% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 63%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.
Most do. 85% (28 of 33) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Georgia comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the public health program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024