Private for-profit · Community college
Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city
- —
- Transfer rate
- —
- Avg net price
- —
- Grad / completion
- $62,978
- Median earnings
Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Nashville, Tennessee (large city setting), enrolling 805 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. In 1689, French-Canadian trader Martin Chartier established a trading post on the Cumberland River, near the present-day site of the city. Much of the city's cultural life has revolved around its large university community. Particularly significant in this respect were two groups of critics and writers who were associated with Vanderbilt University in the early 20th century: the Fugitives and the Agrarians. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 4 miles to Nashville, TN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 377 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to Nashville (BNA) · major hub
How Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting compares
Higher than 97% · #1 of 70 in Tennessee
Lower than 84%
Lower than 1%
Larger than 70%
Percentiles compare Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Tennessee.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women59374%
- Men21226%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black13%
- Hispanic14%
- Other or multiracial7.3%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 805
- Student–faculty ratio
- 97 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 26%
- First-generation students
- 55%
- Students over 25
- 97%
- Median family income
- $44,350
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $47,115
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- —
- First-year retention
- —
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $68,179
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $62,978
- Median debt at graduation
- $6,840
- Students with federal loans
- 48%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 59%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (805 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $62,978
- Typical debt at graduation
- $6,840
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 11%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- —
Typical debt would take roughly 1.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Women out-earn men by $8,505 (15%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 89°F
- Winter low
- 28°F
- Annual rain
- 53.2″
- Annual snow
- 4.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Shelby Bottoms Nature, TN US station (6.7 mi from campus).
What Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting side by side →
Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 1 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 1,027
- Tuition
- $17k
- Transfer
- —
- Earnings
- $61k
Galen Health Institutes-Miami Campus
Pembroke Pines, Florida · Large suburb · 19 mi to Miami
- Students
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Galen Health Institutes-Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina · Small city · 6 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 743
- Tuition
- $16k
- Transfer
- —
- Earnings
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Galen Health Institutes-Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida · Midsize suburb · 6 mi to Gainesville
- Students
- 668
- Tuition
- $17k
- Transfer
- —
- Earnings
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Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio · Large suburb · 15 mi to Cincinnati
- Students
- 645
- Tuition
- $18k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
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Galen Health Institutes-Sarasota
Sarasota, Florida · Large suburb · 5 mi to Sarasota
- Students
- 574
- Tuition
- $17k
- Transfer
- —
- Earnings
- $61k
Colleges near Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting
Tennessee State University
Nashville, TN · Public · Bachelor's · 4,848 students
Meharry Medical College
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Fisk University
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,035 students
American Baptist College
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 46 students
Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus
Nashville, TN · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,027 students
John A Gupton College
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · Associate · 166 students
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,208 students
Nashville State Community College
Nashville, TN · Public · Associate · 5,653 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.