Community CollegePublicHSI

Merritt College

Oakland, California·Public, 2-year·Far West·merritt.edu
Acceptance
Open admission
—
6-yr Graduation
26%
—
Total enrollment
7,022
peer median 7,555
Avg net price
$14,021
+$6.7k vs Community College
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsAlumni

About

Merritt College is a public community college in Oakland, California, United States. Merritt, like the other three campuses of the Peralta Community College District, is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The college enrolls approximately 6,000 students.

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
26%
Full-time retention
55%

Pell equity

1.0pp gap
Pell recipients
27%9 of 33
Non-Pell (all)
26%19 of 73
Subsidized loan, no Pell
0%0 of 1
No Federal Aid
26%19 of 72

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 65 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 62 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
65
Passing
3
4.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

65programs
  • Passing3 · 4.6%
  • No Data62 · 95.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
3
No data
62

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

3
Social Sciences General
Associate Degree · Social Sciences
+38.6%
$50,001 vs $36,082
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Associate Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+41.4%
$51,037 vs $36,082
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+283.3%
$138,291 vs $36,082

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Accredited since 1956Next review Mar 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 17

  1. Nov 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  2. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  3. Jan 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  4. Aug 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  5. Jul 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETT) - Dietetic Technician Program

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$13,744
$30–48k$14,102
$48–75k$12,825
$75–110k$18,528
$110k+$20,036

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$14,021
+$6,724vs Community College median $7,298
Federal loans
0.6%
In-state tuition
$1,258
Out-of-state
$9,898

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 1,292 students received $5.5M in Pell grants, alongside $539K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,292
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.5M
$5,465,988 total
Direct Loans
$539K
135 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$223K
68 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$316K
67 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 93 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (5.3%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
5.3%
+3.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
93
Defaulted
5
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
23.6%
2017
19.3%
2018
6.7%
2019
5.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Merritt College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs59
UndergraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

437 total completions
01Health Professions
13931.8%
02Social Sciences
7617.4%
03Business
429.6%
04Family/Consumer Sci
398.9%
05Agriculture
358.0%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
347.8%
07Legal Professions
225.0%
08Psychology
204.6%
09Mathematics
163.7%
10Security/Protective
143.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
7,022
12-mo unduplicated
11,762
Undergraduate
11,762
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
38%4,492
Women
62%7,270

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
29.3%
Black
23.9%
White
18.3%
Asian
16.2%
Two or more
6.3%
Unknown
4.7%
Non-resident
0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
85
54 M · 31 W
Women athletes
36.5%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$548K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$16K
$16K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 3

Soccer
23 M · 17 W
$108K
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
21 M · 6 W
$104K
Basketball
15 M · 10 W
$167K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.30
2 offenses · 6,716 students

3-year trend

0.482 yrs ago0.311 yr ago0.30Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
7
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
3
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

2total
  • On campus2

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
1
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
33.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
64

Merritt College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Merritt College selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectMerritt College
26%Open admission7,022$14,021Community College
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
—Open admission6,510$11,602Community College
Central Carolina Community College
—Open admission5,882$5,446Community College
Central Texas College
—Open admission8,373$10,265Community College
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College
—Open admission6,296$7,886Community College
College of Marin
—Open admission4,838$12,351Community College
Columbus State Community College
—Open admission28,081$8,400Community College
Cuyahoga Community College District
—Open admission17,840$4,266Community College
Des Moines Area Community College
—Open admission23,697$11,171Community College
Durham Technical Community College
—Open admission5,157$1,664Community College
Eastern Arizona College
—Open admission5,213$9,197Community College
Eastern Iowa Community College District
—Open admission7,426$14,017Community College
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
—Open admission6,420$5,143Community College
Hutchinson Community College
—Open admission5,119$6,727Community College
Iowa Western Community College
—Open admission5,540$14,629Community College
Ivy Tech Community College
—Open admission110,710$7,258Community College
Jefferson Community and Technical College
—Open admission13,429$6,376Community College
Kapiolani Community College
—Open admission5,914$5,202Community College
Laney College
—Open admission9,328$17,110Community College
Laurel Ridge Community College
—Open admission5,902$6,013Community College
Lincoln Land Community College
—Open admission5,677$4,299Community College
Metropolitan Community College Area
—Open admission16,642$4,982Community College
Monroe Community College
—Open admission8,641$6,353Community College
Moraine Valley Community College
—Open admission11,296$2,829Community College
North Central Texas College
—Open admission8,106$6,587Community College
Owens Community College
—Open admission7,854$10,369Community College
Parkland College
—Open admission6,014$8,048Community College
Pitt Community College
—Open admission7,684$7,337Community College
Rock Valley College
—Open admission5,978$5,242Community College
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
—Open admission7,028$7,981Community College
Southwestern Illinois College
—Open admission8,492$10,427Community College
St Philip's College
—Open admission17,299$4,273Community College
Triton College
—Open admission9,842$4,138Community College
Waubonsee Community College
—Open admission8,305$11,442Community College
Peer group median26%—7,555$7,298

Institutions like Merritt College

Explore the federal data for institutions in Merritt College's comparison group.

IPEDS

Merritt College Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Planning, Research & Institutional Effectiveness
Email
npellegrin [at] peralta.edu
Phone
603-524-7507
Address
12500 Campus Drive, Oakland, CA 94619

It is the mission of the Office of Planning, Research & Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE) to provide data, information, and analyses to Merritt College in support of institutional decision making, planning and evaluation of services provided to the students and community.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Nathan Pellegrin
    Director of Research & Planning

Reports & documents (1)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Merritt College (8)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Saundra Brown Armstrong
    Law
  • John Bailey (American actor)
    Entertainment
  • Elbert Howard
    Activism
  • Grady Livingston
    Politics
  • Marvin X
    Literature
  • Master P
    Music
  • Patricia Rodriguez (artist)
    Art
  • Sheng Thao
    Politics

Frequently asked questions about Merritt College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Merritt College.

What is the acceptance rate at Merritt College?

Merritt College does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution has an open admission policy: it admits all applicants who meet basic requirements, so it does not report a selective admit rate.

What is the graduation rate at Merritt College?

Merritt College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 26% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Merritt College?

Merritt College reports a total enrollment of 7,022 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Merritt College?

The average net price at Merritt College is $14,021 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Merritt College located?

Merritt College is located in Oakland, California 94619-3196.

Who runs Institutional Research at Merritt College?

Merritt College's IR work is done by the Office of Planning, Research & Institutional Effectiveness.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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