Merrimack vs Nichols College

Merrimack College and Nichols College, both located in Massachusetts, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Merrimack, a private Catholic university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Nichols' more selective admissions (65%). While Merrimack's student body is predominantly undergraduate, Nichols has a larger graduate population. In terms of academics, Merrimack offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business Administration and Nursing, while Nichols focuses on business and hospitality management. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Merrimack's four-year rate at 75% and Nichols' at 80%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two institutions. Explore the data and discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Merrimack College	Nichols College
Overview
Location	North Andover, Massachusetts	Dudley, 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 and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.3%	84.8%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	970 - 1160
ACT range	N/A	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		13.0%
Students submitting ACT score		2.0%
Total number of applicants	10,429	2,193
Total number of admissions given out	8,375	1,859
Admitted students who chose to enroll	967	316
Yield rate	11.5%	17.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$64,774	$48,400
Average net price	$35,500	$28,184
Tuition	$43,842	$36,050
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,493 Meal plan: $7,323	$13,950
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $25,528	100.0% Average amount $24,624
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $5,356	93.0% Average amount $6,086
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $22,739	17.0% Average amount $19,280

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,120 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%	1,207 Men 66.4% Women 33.6%
Graduate students	1,332 Men 27.3% Women 72.7%	227 Men 65.6% Women 34.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.9%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,713	890
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Communication and Journalism History English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.0%	57.6%
Dropout rate	0.1%	40.2%
Transferred out	30.5%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,056 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $77,370 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,536 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $56,807 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,425 Year 2: $50,717 Year 3: $55,404 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,838 Year 2: $45,956 Year 3: $54,161 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,403 Year 2: $51,169 Year 3: $53,268 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,212 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $52,702 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,724 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $45,965 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,742 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $40,471 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,128 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Merrimack vs Nichols College

Merrimack College

Nichols College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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