Private nonprofit · College
Merrimack College
North Andover, Massachusetts · Large suburb
- 70.0%
- Admit rate
- $37,927
- Avg net price
- 70%
- Graduation rate
- $75,584
- Median earnings
Merrimack College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in North Andover, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 3,916 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.
About North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of European arrival, Massachusett and Naumkeag people inhabited the area south of the Merrimack River and Pennacooks inhabited the area to the north. The Massachusett referred to the area that would later become North Andover as Cochichawick. Barker's Farm, which started in 1643, is the oldest continually operated business in Massachusetts and among the oldest in the United States. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 22 miles to Boston, MA
- To the ocean
- 15 miles
- Nearest airport
- 16 miles to Laurence G Hanscom Field (BED)
How Merrimack College compares
More selective than 64% · #31 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 78% · #31 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 60%
Higher than 88% · #22 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 6% · #53 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 11%
Lower than 50%
Larger than 73%
Percentiles compare Merrimack College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Merrimack College campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate3,91669%
- Graduate1,76031%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,07653%
- Men1,84047%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White75%
- Black4.0%
- Hispanic12%
- Asian1.9%
- Other or multiracial7.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,916
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,760
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 16%
- First-generation students
- 21%
- Students over 25
- 2%
- Median family income
- $102,956
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $110,844
- Endowment
- $86,879,373
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,071 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Massachusetts66%
- Other U.S. states32%
- International1.6%
A regional draw: about 66% of first-years come from Massachusetts, the rest from elsewhere.
2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 70.0%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $53,962
- Room & board
- $21,525
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $70,038
- Average net price
- $37,927
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 70%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 63%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 21%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $54,316
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $75,584
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 60%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 75%
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
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,826
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 72%
- Housing charge (year)
- $11,232
- Meal plan (year)
- $8,763
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FCS
- Football conference
- Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 843 (434 men · 409 women)
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%.
Varsity sports (18)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 25
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,862 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.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$31,962/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Merrimack College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,875. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,182 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $75,584
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 36%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 82%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
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.
Men out-earn women by $13,759 (20%) 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
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 20°F
- Annual rain
- 49.2″
- Annual snow
- 67.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lawrence, MA US station (3 mi from campus).
What Merrimack College 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 Merrimack College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Merrimack College side by side →
Siena University
Loudonville, New York · Large suburb · 4 mi to Albany
- Students
- 3,409
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $34k
- SAT
- 1254
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $76k
Seattle University
Seattle, Washington · Large city · 1 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 4,062
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $35k
- SAT
- 1307
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $75k
Elon University
Elon, North Carolina · Midsize suburb · 16 mi to Greensboro
- Students
- 6,452
- Admission
- 66%
- Net price
- $42k
- SAT
- 1208
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $75k
Stonehill College
Easton, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 21 mi to Boston
- Students
- 2,528
- Admission
- 66%
- Net price
- $33k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $78k
Adelphi University
Garden City, New York · Large suburb · 18 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,276
- Admission
- 66%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1219
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $75k
Salve Regina University
Newport, Rhode Island · Large suburb · 25 mi to Providence
- Students
- 2,121
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $37k
- SAT
- 1232
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $73k
Colleges near Merrimack College
Spa Tech Institute-North Andover
North Andover, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 118 students
Massachusetts School of Law
Andover, MA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Massachusetts
North Andover, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 430 students
EINE Inc
Tewksbury, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 47 students
Northpoint Bible College
Haverhill, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 86 students
Lowell Academy Hairstyling Institute
Lowell, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
North Shore Community College
Danvers, MA · Public · Associate · 4,393 students
Northern Essex Community College
Haverhill, MA · Public · Associate · 3,685 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.













