Simmons vs Merrimack

Simmons University and Merrimack College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Simmons, a private university located in the heart of Boston, boasts a long history of educating women and is known for its strong programs in health sciences, business, and social sciences. Merrimack, a private Catholic university situated in North Andover, Massachusetts, emphasizes experiential learning and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as engineering, business, and education. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Merrimack College	Simmons University
Overview
Location	North Andover, Massachusetts	Boston, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.3%	83.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $56
SAT range	N/A	1140 - 1360
ACT range	N/A	27 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		15.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	10,429	3,516
Total number of admissions given out	8,375	2,937
Admitted students who chose to enroll	967	403
Yield rate	11.5%	13.7%
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	$62,784
Average net price	$35,500	$19,026
Tuition	$43,842	$41,872
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,493 Meal plan: $7,323	$15,892
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 $30,753
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $5,356	65.0% Average amount $5,057
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $22,739	5.0% Average amount $10,341

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,120 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%	1,748 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Graduate students	1,332 Men 27.3% Women 72.7%	4,236 Men 11.4% Women 88.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.9%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,713	988
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Mississippi Connecticut Maine New Hampshire New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Library Science Psychology Education
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.0%	70.7%
Dropout rate	0.1%	17.2%
Transferred out	30.5%	11.5%
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: $99,277 Year 2: $97,241 Year 3: $103,131 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,151 Year 2: $71,778 Year 3: $80,723 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,272 Year 2: $67,789 Year 3: $71,983 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,105 Year 2: $67,740 Year 3: $70,098 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,112 Year 2: $61,751 Year 3: $66,876 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: $60,411 Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $56,033 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,859 Year 2: $52,808 Year 3: $55,654 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,457 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $53,806 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $53,595

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