Private (nonprofit)

Samuel Merritt University

Oakland, California·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·samuelmerritt.edu
Acceptance
No freshman entry
—
6-yr Graduation
No freshman cohort
—
Total enrollment
1,926
peer median 8,913
Avg net price
No freshman cohort
—
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AboutProgram outcomesAccreditationFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

Samuel Merritt University (SMU) is a private university focused on health sciences with its main campus in Oakland, California, and other facilities in Sacramento, Foster City and Fresno. It was an affiliate of the Sutter Health Network and Alta Bates Summit Medical Center until it disaffiliated in January, 2022, becoming a wholly independent institution. It is the only provider of physical therapists, occupational therapists, and physician assistants and is the largest source of nurses in the greater East Bay. Formerly known as Samuel Merritt College, it was founded in 1909 as a hospital school of nursing. Today, it stands as a comprehensive health sciences university, encompassing three colleges: College of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, and College of Podiatric Medicine

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 13 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 6 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
13
Passing
7
53.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

13programs
  • Passing7 · 53.8%
  • No Data6 · 46.2%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
7
No data
6

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.

7
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+46.9%
$90,854 vs $61,854
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+53.3%
$94,813 vs $61,854
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+133.7%
$144,577 vs $61,854
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+137.7%
$147,055 vs $61,854
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+151.5%
$155,587 vs $61,854
Medicine
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+168.1%
$165,829 vs $61,854
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+310.7%
$148,193 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

5
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
170%
$160,831 debt · $94,813 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
160%
$145,291 debt · $90,854 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
111%
$159,862 debt · $144,577 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
84%
$130,688 debt · $155,587 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
13%
$18,750 debt · $148,193 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1984Next review Feb 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 9

Action history · 26

  1. Oct 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric Medical Education · Podiatry (POD) - Colleges of podiatric medicine, including first-professional and graduate degree programs
  2. Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: Other
    American Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric Medical Education · Podiatry (POD) - Colleges of podiatric medicine, including first-professional and graduate degree programs
  3. Apr 2025Deny Substantive Change: Other
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
  4. Apr 2025Deny Substantive Change: Other
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
  5. Dec 2024Accreditation Reaffirmed: Warning Removed
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

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, 150 students received $720K in Pell grants, alongside $79.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
150
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$720K
$720,010 total
Direct Loans
$79.2M
3,223 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.6M
697 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$4.5M
681 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$25.8M
954 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.1M
63 loan awards
Grad PLUS$42.3M
828 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 754 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.1%
-2.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
754
Defaulted
1
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
0.4%
2017
0.9%
2018
0.7%
2019
0.1%
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 Samuel Merritt

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs11
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

766 total completions
01Health Professions
766100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
1,926
12-mo unduplicated
2,454
Undergraduate
1,101
Graduate
1,353

Gender split

Men
23%555
Women
77%1,899

Race / ethnicity composition

Asian
31.9%
White
29.2%
Hispanic
20.9%
Black
8.8%
Two or more
5.1%
Unknown
2.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

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
0.00
0 offenses · 1,894 students

3-year trend

0.492 yrs ago3.661 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
8
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
2
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 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
    5.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    170

    Samuel Merritt vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Samuel Merritt 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
    SubjectSamuel Merritt University
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry1,926No freshman cohort—
    Arizona State University Campus Immersion
    		68%89.9%79,818$14,967R1 Research
    Azusa Pacific University
    		62%88.4%6,272$22,212R2 Research
    Barry University
    		37%77.2%6,825$22,613Doctoral/Professional
    Boston College
    		91%16.4%15,432$41,704R1 Research
    California State University-East Bay
    		48%97.4%12,326$9,320R2 Research
    California State University-Fullerton
    		70%90.5%43,662$6,555R2 Research
    California State University-Sacramento
    		56%94.0%31,943$9,338Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    Chapman University
    		82%65.4%9,760$46,555R2 Research
    Columbia University in the City of New York
    		96%4.0%35,173$21,590R1 Research
    Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only1,534Grad-only—
    Dominican University of California
    		78%83.5%1,900$35,333Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
    Duke University
    		97%5.7%17,499$29,612R1 Research
    Georgetown University
    		95%12.9%20,031$40,815R1 Research
    Johns Hopkins University
    		94%6.4%30,210$18,809R1 Research
    Keck Graduate Institute
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only622Grad-onlyMasters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    Loma Linda University
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry4,210No freshman cohortR2 Research
    Loyola University Chicago
    		75%81.6%17,384$36,079R2 Research
    Midwestern University-Glendale
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only3,738Grad-only—
    Mount Saint Mary's University
    		48%73.1%2,312$21,413Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    New York College of Podiatric Medicine
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only339Grad-only—
    Oregon Health & Science University
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry2,942No freshman cohort—
    Pacific University
    		67%89.6%3,427$35,273Doctoral/Professional
    Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only2,021Grad-only—
    San Francisco State University
    		50%96.4%22,563$12,278R2 Research
    San Jose State University
    		69%84.6%37,661$13,760Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    Sonoma State University
    		58%93.4%5,891$12,885Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    Temple University
    		75%80.4%29,640$28,198R1 Research
    The University of Alabama
    		73%76.6%40,846$22,420R1 Research
    University of California-Davis
    		86%41.8%40,065$14,741R1 Research
    University of California-San Francisco
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only3,007Grad-only—
    University of Kentucky
    		71%92.9%34,709$18,851R1 Research
    University of Maine at Fort Kent
    		34%97.9%1,562$7,482Baccalaureate
    University of New England
    		70%91.6%6,573$38,107R2 Research
    University of Puget Sound
    		68%72.2%1,864$38,394Baccalaureate
    University of San Diego
    		84%52.4%9,714$30,365R2 Research
    University of San Francisco
    		70%61.7%8,913$41,431Doctoral/Professional
    University of Southern California
    		92%9.8%46,566$32,740R1 Research
    University of the Pacific
    		68%71.3%6,944$25,447Doctoral/Professional
    Vanderbilt University
    		94%5.9%13,575$15,846R1 Research
    Western University of Health Sciences
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only3,665Grad-only—
    Peer group median70%77.2%8,913$22,420

    Institutions like Samuel Merritt

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

    IPEDS

    Samuel Merritt Institutional Research office

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

    Office
    Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation
    Address
    525 12th Street, Oakland, California 94607

    The Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation provides objective, systematic, and thorough research and analysis in support of Samuel Merritt University's strategic and operational planning, policy formation, and decision-making activities.

    Visit IR office page
    Team
    1 member
    • Nandini Dasgupta
      Director of Institutional Research and Evaluation

    Reports & documents (2)

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

    Grants & funding (1)

    Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

    USA Spending

    Notable alumni of Samuel Merritt (4)

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

    • CC Barber
    • Laura Davis
      Athletics
    • Lawrence B. Harkless
    • Kelly Starrett

    Frequently asked questions about Samuel Merritt University

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

    What is the acceptance rate at Samuel Merritt University?

    Samuel Merritt University does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution does not admit first-time (freshman) undergraduates, so the federal admit rate does not apply.

    What is the graduation rate at Samuel Merritt University?

    Samuel Merritt University does not have a reported federal graduation rate. Federal graduation rates follow first-time, full-time undergraduates. This institution does not enroll that cohort.

    How many students attend Samuel Merritt University?

    Samuel Merritt University reports a total enrollment of 1,926 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Samuel Merritt University?

    Samuel Merritt University does not have a reported average net price. Net price is a federal metric for first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal aid, and this institution does not enroll that cohort.

    Where is Samuel Merritt University located?

    Samuel Merritt University is located in Oakland, California 94609.

    Who runs Institutional Research at Samuel Merritt University?

    Samuel Merritt University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation.

    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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