How much debt do Mercy University English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 32nd lowest of 40 English bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Mercy University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 105% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.

Mercy University English (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Mercy University English graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 96% (23 of 24) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Private nonprofit university
Dobbs Ferry, NY
About 21 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Mercy University English graduates earn less than graduates of most English programs nationally, $25,612 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 79% of English programs in the country. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$25,61223rd percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$65,759157% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00032nd lowest of 40 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings105%New York median 79%, national 77%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New York and national columns are the medians across all English bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Mercy University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,612	$28,290	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$65,759	$52,201	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$23,844	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	105%	79%	77%
Programs compared		41	471

Five years out, Mercy University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $13,558 more than the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York English program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New York medians.

Mercy UniversityOther New York programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 157% between the first and fifth year.

Mercy University grads, year 1$25,612

Mercy University grads, year 5$65,759

All New York English grads, year 5$52,201

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 13.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

96% of graduates (23 of 24) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $25,612 salary here buys what about $22,753 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 English, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$97,070

Median pay in New York. 70,660 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $60,070Top 10%: $136,450

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$59,740

Median pay in New York. 1,030 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,080Top 10%: $97,300

About Mercy University

Tuition and fees	$22,880 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,072 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	46%
Undergraduate students	5,735

English ranks 18th of 19 bachelor's programs at Mercy University by first-year earnings. The top three are Medical Laboratory Science ($101,516), Nursing ($90,933), and Information Technology ($55,745).

Other English bachelor's programs near Dobbs Ferry

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Mercy UniversityDobbs Ferry, NY · private nonprofit		$25,612	$27,000
Dominican University New YorkOrangeburg, NY · private nonprofit	4 mi	$26,422	$28,500
Manhattan UniversityRiverdale, NY · private nonprofit	9 mi	$20,013	$27,000
Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · public	10 mi	$34,337	$11,391
Fordham UniversityBronx, NY · private nonprofit	11 mi	$26,652	$27,000
City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	14 mi	$27,082	$13,782
Barnard CollegeNew York, NY · private nonprofit	15 mi	$40,414	$19,000
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	15 mi	$35,838	$25,500
William Paterson University of New JerseyWayne, NJ · public	18 mi	$27,573	$25,724

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,612 one year after graduating and $65,759 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in New York is $28,290.

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 New York 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 English 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

English bachelor's programs in New York, ranked41 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Mercy University programs, ranked20 programs by pay and debt