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Moderately selectiveUpdated for the 2026-2027 cycle

Merrimack College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in

Merrimack College, a private college in Massachusetts, reports a 70% acceptance rate and sits in the moderately selective band. In practice that means it admits more applicants than it rejects, so a strong application is judged against an applicant pool that is already self-selected.

Your odds at Merrimack College
Three numbers, no account, the same published model the full calculator runs.

Use this page to see what Merrimack College weighs, where it ranks among Massachusetts schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1200, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.

Acceptance rate
70%
Moderately selective
Admitted SAT (75th pct)
1200
of admitted students
Type
Private
North Andover, MA
Average net price
$37,927
per year after aid

What do students study at Merrimack College?

Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.

Business, Management and Marketing · 297 (31.9%)Health Professions and Related Programs · 122 (13.1%)Family and Consumer Sciences · 85 (9.1%)Parks, Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies · 72 (7.7%)Homeland Security, Law Enforcement and Firefighting · 61 (6.5%)Engineering · 49 (5.3%)Communication and Journalism · 43 (4.6%)Psychology · 43 (4.6%)Biological and Biomedical Sciences · 35 (3.8%)Liberal Arts and General Studies · 34 (3.6%)Computer and Information Sciences · 23 (2.5%)Social Sciences · 14 (1.5%)

Will I get into Merrimack College?

Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Merrimack College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.

What are my chances of getting into Merrimack College?

Your odds at Merrimack College are not the same as its 70% acceptance rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Merrimack College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.

Is Merrimack College hard to get into?

Merrimack College is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 70% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.

What GPA do you need to get into Merrimack College?

There is no hard GPA cutoff at Merrimack College, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. Merrimack College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.

What SAT score do you need for Merrimack College?

Merrimack College does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1200. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at Merrimack College.

Calculate your chances at Merrimack College →

Your chances at Merrimack College by GPA and SAT

Estimated chance of admission at Merrimack College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).

What are my chances at Merrimack College with a 3.1 GPA and a 1140 SAT?

About 87% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1140 SAT, the middle of Merrimack College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1200 SAT comes out near 97%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.

Estimated admission chance at Merrimack College by unweighted GPA (rows) and SAT score (columns)
GPASAT 107025th pctSAT 1140middleSAT 120075th pctNo testtest-optional
2.532%Target43%Target54%Likely31%Target
2.857%Likely69%Likely77%Safety62%Likely
3.180%Safety87%Safety91%Safety87%Safety
3.492%Safety95%Safety97%Safety96%Safety

Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/merrimack-college.

How to get into Merrimack College

Built from Merrimack College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.

There is no formula that guarantees a spot at Merrimack College, but the applicants who get in tend to do the same four things. Here is what the numbers say each one looks like.

Step 1
Match the typical admit on the transcript

CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Merrimack College carries about a 3.23 core GPA and a 1150 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.

Step 2
Build the file around what Merrimack College weighs

Merrimack College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.

Step 3
Apply in the round that helps

An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Merrimack College's exact dates at www.merrimack.edu.

See your odds and your top moves at Merrimack College →Add it to your college list →Official site: www.merrimack.edu ↗

How many students apply to Merrimack College, and how many get in?

Merrimack College admitted 10,079 of the 13,693 students who applied for fall 2023, which works out to 73.6%. 1,071 enrolled. Only about 11% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Merrimack College enrolls about 3,916 undergraduates in total, 54% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 13 to 1.

Applied
13,693
fall 2023
Admitted
10,079
73.6% of applicants
Enrolled
1,071
11% yield
Undergraduates
3,916
North Andover, large suburb

Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.

What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Merrimack College?

Merrimack College reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.

Test scores
Neither required nor recommended
admissions policy

Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.

What Merrimack College looks for

What Merrimack College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.

The factors that carry the most weight at Merrimack College are rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Merrimack College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.

Rigor of secondary school record
Very important
Academic GPA
Very important
Class rank
Considered
Standardized test scores
Important
Application essay
Important
Recommendations
Important
Interview
Considered
Extracurricular activities
Important
Talent / ability
Important
Character / personal qualities
Very important
First-generation status
Considered
Volunteer work
Considered
Work experience
Considered
Level of applicant interest
Important

SAT score positioning at Merrimack College

How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.

SATWhere it sits at Merrimack College
1600Above the admitted 75th percentile
1500Above the admitted 75th percentile
1400Above the admitted 75th percentile
1300Above the admitted 75th percentile
1200In the competitive admitted range
1100Below the middle, makes the rest of the profile matter more
Colleges for a 1200 SAT →Colleges for a 25 ACT →See colleges by GPA →

How much does Merrimack College cost after financial aid?

Merrimack College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $70,038 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $53,962. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $37,927 a year, and it ranges from $31,710 for families earning under $30,000 to $41,050 for families earning over $110,000. 16% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.

Sticker price
$70,038
per year, before aid
Average net price
$37,927
after grants and scholarships
Pell recipients
16%
of undergraduates
Family incomeAverage net price per year
$0 to $30k$31,710
$30k to $48k$29,417
$48k to $75k$31,962
$75k to $110k$36,045
Over $110k$41,050

Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.

What do Merrimack College graduates earn, and how many graduate?

Ten years after enrolling, the median Merrimack College student who received federal aid earns $75,584 a year, up from $54,316 at six years. 70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 79% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $27,000; 60% of undergraduates take federal loans.

Median earnings
$75,584
10 years after entry
Graduation rate
70%
within six years
Retention
79%
return for year two
Median debt
$27,000
at graduation, borrowers

Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.

How Merrimack College compares in Massachusetts

Merrimack College ranks #25 most selective of 36 schools in Massachusetts in our database.

Among the 36 Massachusetts schools we track, Merrimack College ranks #25 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Harvard University (4%) and Northeastern University (5%) sit nearby, which makes Massachusetts a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.

Harvard University
4%acceptance · MA
Northeastern University
5%acceptance · MA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5%acceptance · MA
Williams College
8%acceptance · MA
Amherst College
9%acceptance · MA
Boston University
11%acceptance · MA
Tufts University
11%acceptance · MA
Wellesley College
14%acceptance · MA
See all Massachusetts schools →

Similar to Merrimack College

Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.

Applicants targeting Merrimack College often weigh Capital University, Franklin College, and Lake Erie College, which sit at a similar level. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.

Capital University
70%acceptance · OH
Franklin College
70%acceptance · IN
Lake Erie College
70%acceptance · OH
Rockhurst University
70%acceptance · MO
Nyack College
70%acceptance · NY
Florida College
70%acceptance · FL

Frequently asked questions

What is Merrimack College's acceptance rate?

Merrimack College admitted 10,079 of 13,693 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 73.6% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 11% of admitted students enrolled.

Is Merrimack College test-optional?

Merrimack College reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.

How much does Merrimack College cost after financial aid?

The average net price at Merrimack College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $37,927 a year against a sticker price of about $70,038. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $31,710 on average.

What do Merrimack College graduates earn?

Median earnings ten years after entering Merrimack College are $75,584 a year among students who received federal aid, and 70% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).

What does Merrimack College value most in applicants?

Based on its admissions profile, Merrimack College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.

Does Merrimack College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?

Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Merrimack College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.

How can I improve my chances at Merrimack College?

Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Merrimack College specifically.

Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.