How much debt do Mount Mercy University social work graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,677, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 social work bachelor's programs in Iowa. That works out to about $272 a month over 10 years.

Is a social work degree from Mount Mercy University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Iowa programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Bachelor's in Social Work
Private nonprofit university
Cedar Rapids, IA
About 10 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Mount Mercy University social work graduates earn about what social work graduates earn nationally, $37,303 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,677 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,579. Several Iowa programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,30351st percentile of 328 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$37,8261% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,6773rd lowest of 6 Iowa programs

Debt-to-earnings69%Iowa median 66%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Mount Mercy University	Iowa	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,303	$38,294	$37,220
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$37,826	$42,121	$49,258
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,677	$25,837	$26,579
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	66%	72%
Programs compared		6	328

Five years out, Mount Mercy University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,295 less than the Iowa median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Iowa social work program

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

Mount Mercy UniversityOther Iowa 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 1% between the first and fifth year.

Mount Mercy University grads, year 1$37,303

Mount Mercy University grads, year 5$37,826

All Iowa social work grads, year 5$42,121

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 $272 a month, or 8.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Cedar Rapids area are about 11% below the national average, so a $37,303 salary here buys what about $41,931 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

$52,250

Median pay in Iowa. 3,410 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $39,240Top 10%: $81,170

Social and Community Service Managers

$65,940

Median pay in Iowa. 2,790 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $46,000Top 10%: $102,740

Healthcare Social Workers

$63,050

Median pay in Iowa. 1,550 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $46,140Top 10%: $80,360

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$48,530

Median pay in Iowa. 1,200 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $37,980Top 10%: $80,760

About Mount Mercy University

Tuition and fees	$40,878 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,168 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	1,107

Social Work ranks 9th of 12 bachelor's programs at Mount Mercy University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,647), Business ($57,572), and Accounting ($52,486).

Other social work bachelor's programs near Cedar Rapids

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Mount Mercy UniversityCedar Rapids, IA · private nonprofit		$37,303	$25,677
University of IowaIowa City, IA · public	24 mi	$39,285	$25,180
University of Northern IowaCedar Falls, IA · public	54 mi	$37,257	$22,847

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,303 one year after graduating and $37,826 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in Iowa is $38,294.

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 Iowa 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 Iowa, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Social Work bachelor's programs in the US, ranked328 programs by pay and debt All Mount Mercy University programs, ranked12 programs by pay and debt