How much debt do Mercy University social work graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 11th lowest of 14 social work bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a social work degree from Mercy University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 66% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay.

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

Q: Do Mercy University social work graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 83% (25 of 30) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Social Work
Private nonprofit university
Dobbs Ferry, NY
About 33 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Mercy University social work graduates earn about what social work graduates earn nationally, $39,373 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,579. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$39,37373rd percentile of 328 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$56,16243% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,00011th lowest of 14 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings66%New York median 67%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Mercy University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,373	$38,126	$37,220
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$56,162	$57,591	$49,258
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$25,000	$26,579
Debt as share of first-year pay	66%	67%	72%
Programs compared		15	328

Five years out, Mercy University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York social work 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 43% between the first and fifth year.

Mercy University grads, year 1$39,373

Mercy University grads, year 5$56,162

All New York social work grads, year 5$57,591

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 $276 a month, or 8.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (45 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

83% of graduates (25 of 30) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $39,373 salary here buys what about $34,979 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 social work, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$65,100

Median pay in New York. 30,170 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $48,400Top 10%: $100,100

Social and Community Service Managers

$95,980

Median pay in New York. 19,340 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 18,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $64,120Top 10%: $149,550

Healthcare Social Workers

$73,070

Median pay in New York. 20,440 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $47,750Top 10%: $103,730

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$79,380

Median pay in New York. 14,820 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $54,650Top 10%: $122,340

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

Social Work ranks 9th 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 social work bachelor's programs near Dobbs Ferry

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Mercy UniversityDobbs Ferry, NY · private nonprofit		$39,373	$26,000
Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · public	10 mi	$42,300	$12,690
Ramapo College of New JerseyMahwah, NJ · public	16 mi	$31,210	$24,491
Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	18 mi	$42,227	$9,608
Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	20 mi	$33,095	$25,000
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	21 mi	$26,837	$25,000
CUNY York CollegeJamaica, NY · public	22 mi	$44,742	$9,500
Medgar Evers CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	25 mi	$44,311	$15,096
Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ · private nonprofit	27 mi	$47,734	$25,721

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,373 one year after graduating and $56,162 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in New York is $38,126.

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 social work 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

Social Work bachelor's programs in New York, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Social Work bachelor's programs in the US, ranked328 programs by pay and debt All Mercy University programs, ranked20 programs by pay and debt