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Merrimack College: Palmisano Hall at Merrimack College
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

Merrimack College

North Andover, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $37,927 a year

Median debt at graduation: $27,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Upcoming admissions events

View all upcoming events · From the college's admissions website.

Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

Academic Excellence

B+Academic Excellence: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Very good · Top 24%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.70%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.79%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.13 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$8,809

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$31,710
$30,001–$48,000$29,417
$48,001–$75,000$31,962
$75,001–$110,000$36,045
Over $110,000$41,050

Full cost of attendance before aid: $70,038 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
4,199
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 46% · Women 54%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
21%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
33%
Total students5,688
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$37,927
Cost of attendance (per year)$70,038
Median federal debt at graduation$27,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
70%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
66%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
69%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
78%
First-year retention79%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$75,584
Admission rate70%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
No application fee
Students receiving Pell grants16%

Value: Solid (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Computer science$114,115
Civil engineering$90,714
Mechanical engineering$85,545
Biology$79,581
Physiology and pathology$74,379
Business administration$73,877
Criminal justice$69,615
Health sciences$68,209
Allied health$65,549
Communication studies$64,345
Psychology$62,567
Education (general)$55,180
Family and human development$53,734

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Accounting, Applied mathematics, Area studies, Biochemistry, Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/Technicians, Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Chemistry, Community Organization and Advocacy, Computer engineering, Computing and information science, Construction Management, Design, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Economics, Electrical engineering, English, Entrepreneurship, Ethnic and gender studies, Finance, Fine arts, General studies, Global studies, Health administration, History, Hospitality management, Human resources, Information science, Interdisciplinary studies, International business, Kinesiology and exercise science, Liberal arts, Managerial economics, Marketing, Mathematics, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Nursing, Nutrition Sciences, Other communication, journalism, and related programs, Other computer and information sciences and support services, Other health professions and related clinical sciences, Philosophy, Physics, Political science, Pre-health, Public health, Rehabilitation and therapy, Religious studies, Romance languages, Secondary education, Sociology, Special education, Teacher education, Theatre, Visual and performing arts, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business32%
Health professions13%
Family and consumer sciences9%
Parks, recreation and fitness8%
Criminal justice and security7%

Campus life

School colors
SettingSuburb
Part-time undergraduates3%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older2%
On-campus room and board (per year)$21,525
SportsNCAA Division I · Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member13 to 1
Faculty who are full-time44%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$14,417Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 67% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsLaurence G Hanscom Field (BED)About 16 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreBostonAbout 23 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January27°F1991–2020 normal, from LAWRENCE, MA US, about 3 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July74°F1991–2020 normal, from LAWRENCE, MA US, about 3 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape1.020.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.170.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Merrimack College’s Compass Score?
Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 34% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Merrimack College cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $37,927 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Merrimack College?
Merrimack College admitted 70% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Merrimack College’s graduates do?
70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $75,584; the median federal debt at graduation is $27,000.

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About this school’s data
  • IPEDS unit ID 166850
  • Carnegie classification: Master's university (larger programs)
  • Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
  • Religious affiliation (IPEDS): Roman Catholic
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