Merrimack vs Sacred Heart University

Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Merrimack, located in North Andover, Massachusetts, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Sacred Heart's 68%. With a larger student body, Merrimack offers a more diverse range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business Administration and Nursing. Sacred Heart, situated in Fairfield, Connecticut, excels in the fields of Health Professions and Psychology. While Merrimack's student body is predominantly female, Sacred Heart maintains a more balanced gender ratio. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Merrimack's reaching 83% and Sacred Heart's at 80%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Merrimack College	Sacred Heart University
Overview
Location	North Andover, Massachusetts	Fairfield, Connecticut
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%	86.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.3%	66.1%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	10,429	12,663
Total number of admissions given out	8,375	8,373
Admitted students who chose to enroll	967	1,842
Yield rate	11.5%	22.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$64,774	$60,042
Average net price	$35,500	$43,907
Tuition	$43,842	$44,960
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,493 Meal plan: $7,323	Room/dormitory: $11,500 Meal plan: $5,454
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $25,528	99.0% Average amount $19,690
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $5,356	63.0% Average amount $5,366
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $22,739	16.0% Average amount $28,281

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,120 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%	6,761 Men 32.6% Women 67.4%
Graduate students	1,332 Men 27.3% Women 72.7%	3,024 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	78.1%
International students	1.9%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,713	3,434
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York Connecticut New Jersey Mississippi Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.0%	73.5%
Dropout rate	0.1%	26.0%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,278 Year 2: $92,829 Year 3: $100,493 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,676 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $93,313 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,919 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $82,778 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,350 Year 2: $74,929 Year 3: $78,642 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,605 Year 2: $74,652 Year 3: $77,798 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $79,954 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $77,726 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,263 Year 2: $71,202 Year 3: $73,047 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $67,979 Year 2: $66,989 Year 3: $67,313 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,445 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $66,212 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,788 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $65,392

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Merrimack vs Sacred Heart University

Merrimack College

Sacred Heart University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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