Merrimack vs Dean College

Merrimack College and Dean College, both located in Massachusetts, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Merrimack College, a private Catholic institution, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Dean College's 65%. With a larger student body, Merrimack College offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business Administration and Nursing, while Dean College focuses on career-oriented programs such as Business Management and Sports Management. While Merrimack College has a higher graduation rate (73%) than Dean College (68%), both institutions provide ample opportunities for students to succeed academically and professionally. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences between these two colleges and make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Dean College	Merrimack College
Overview
Location	Franklin, Massachusetts	North Andover, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	75.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	73.6%	80.3%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	4,924	10,429
Total number of admissions given out	3,624	8,375
Admitted students who chose to enroll	325	967
Yield rate	9.0%	11.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$54,821	$64,774
Average net price	$35,827	$35,500
Tuition	$42,146	$43,842
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,426 Meal plan: $6,664	Room/dormitory: $9,493 Meal plan: $7,323
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $24,205	99.0% Average amount $25,528
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,416	64.0% Average amount $5,356
Students taking out private loans	21.0% Average amount $16,818	16.0% Average amount $22,739

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,206 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	4,120 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Graduate students	N/A	1,332 Men 27.3% Women 72.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.2%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,001	2,713
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi Connecticut New York Rhode Island New Hampshire	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions Education	Education Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	48.7%	69.0%
Dropout rate	12.7%	0.1%
Transferred out	38.1%	30.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,404 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $46,434 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,538 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $32,120 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $29,714 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,845 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $22,226 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $11,351 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,179 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,516 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,692 Year 2: $44,327 Year 3: $57,831 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,877 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,983 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,240 Year 2: $43,160 Year 3: $48,263 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,959 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $47,824 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,026 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $44,114 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,044 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,117 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,444 Year 2: $36,312 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,991 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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