Private nonprofit · University
Samuel Merritt University
Oakland, California · Large city
- —
- Admit rate
- —
- Avg net price
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- Graduation rate
- $143,238
- Median earnings
Samuel Merritt University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Oakland, California (large city setting), enrolling 718 undergraduates.
About Oakland, California
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Huchiun natives, who lived there for thousands of years. The Huchiun belonged to a linguistic grouping later called the Ohlone (a Miwok word meaning "western people"). In 2013, Oakland was designated as one of America's top twelve art communities, recognizing Downtown (including Uptown), Chinatown, Old Oakland, and Jack London Square as communities "that have most successfully combined art, artists and venues for creativity and expression with independent businesses, retail shops and restaurants, and a walkable lifestyle to make vibrant neighborhoods." (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 9 miles to San Francisco, CA
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) · major hub
How Samuel Merritt University compares
Higher than 99% · #1 of 130 in California
Lower than 70%
Lower than 96%
Larger than 28%
Percentiles compare Samuel Merritt University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate71838%
- Graduate1,19162%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women57981%
- Men13919%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White24%
- Black6.3%
- Hispanic28%
- Asian25%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 718
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,191
- Student–faculty ratio
- 5 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18%
- First-generation students
- 32%
- Students over 25
- 82%
- Median family income
- $30,597
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $103,041
- Endowment
- $43,720,867
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
- $143,353
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $143,238
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,825
- Students with federal loans
- 91%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 80%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- $55
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
- 0.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (1,926 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.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $143,238
- Typical debt at graduation
- $20,825
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 15%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 95%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.5 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.
Men out-earn women by $24,978 (18%) 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
- 75°F
- Winter low
- 45°F
- Annual rain
- 22.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Oakland Museum, CA US station (1.5 mi from campus).
What Samuel Merritt University 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 Samuel Merritt University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Samuel Merritt University side by side →
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California · Large suburb · 21 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 921
- Admission
- 13%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1545
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $139k
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Albany, New York · Midsize city · 1 mi to Albany
- Students
- 481
- Admission
- 53%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1252
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $131k
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California · Midsize city · 9 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 987
- Admission
- 3%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $129k
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri · Large city · 3 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 337
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $32k
- SAT
- 1131
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $137k
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Needham, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 11 mi to Boston
- Students
- 377
- Admission
- 25%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $129k
Roseman University of Health Sciences
Henderson, Nevada · Large city · 8 mi to Las Vegas
- Students
- 536
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- —
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $120k
Colleges near Samuel Merritt University
Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences
Oakland, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Lincoln University
Oakland, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 204 students
Laney College
Oakland, CA · Public · Associate · 6,842 students
Moler Barber College
Oakland, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 411 students
National Holistic Institute
Emeryville, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,258 students
College of Alameda
Alameda, CA · Public · Associate · 4,487 students
Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Berkeley School of Theology
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 17 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.