Private Nonprofit Graduate Strong 71/100

Simmons University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Boston, Massachusetts

About Simmons University

Thinking about Simmons University, a college in Massachusetts where more students graduate in Health than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Simmons University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Boston, Massachusetts. It enrolls 1,670 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
70%
Graduation
80.5%
Net Price
$25,265
Median Earnings (10yr)
$63,494
Enrollment
1,670
Student : Faculty
9:1

Accreditor New England Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Strong
71/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 76
Value 43
Affordability 40
Selectivity 72

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Simmons University admits 70% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
70%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1220 – 1390
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
26 – 34
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Simmons University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 7.1 pts since 2019
73.1%201982.5%202083.5%202176.5%202266%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $25,265 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$25,265
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
33%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
63%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$46,874
Room & Board (on-campus)
$17,618
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,520
Books & Supplies
$1,280
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,550
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,550
Total Cost of Attendance
$63,460

Application fee: $61 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $18,027
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $15,810
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $22,139
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $24,714
  • Over $110,000
    $32,777

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$5,500
10% percentile
$12,500
25% percentile
$24,840
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$30,750
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $23,125 ↓ $1,715
No Pell $21,401 ↓ $3,439
Dependent students $21,500 ↓ $3,340
Independent students $21,969 ↓ $2,871
Pell recipients: 26.3% (6,528 students)No Pell: 24.3% (6,041 students)Dependent students: 24.4% (6,069 students)Independent students: 25.0% (6,202 students)Overall Median$24,840
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $10,317, less than completers ($24,840), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

81% of students who start here finish within six years, and 83% come back after first year. Most people who start here leave with the degree they came for. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
81%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
83%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Strong completion signals. Most students who start, finish.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $63,494 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$63,494
Earning > $25K
81%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$59,000$60,000$61,000$63,000$64,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$56,300

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$59,800

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$58,700

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 11.6 pts across 6 years
78.6%1yr82.8%3yr89.2%5yr90.2%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 90% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,670 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
1,670
Part-Time
10%
First-Generation
20%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 46.3% 773
Hispanic 16.6% 277
Black 12.4% 207
Asian 10.2% 170
International 5.0% 83
Other 3.7% 61
White: 46.3% (773 students)Hispanic: 16.6% (277 students)Black: 12.4% (207 students)Asian: 10.2% (170 students)International: 5.0% (83 students)Other: 3.7% (61 students)Total1,670

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Simmons University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large City Boston, Massachusetts
Housing
Mostly residential 1,039 beds on campus
Adult Learners
12% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Women's college

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Public Administration graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Simmons University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 64 distinct programs across 22 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

10 Programs
5 Programs
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 9 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
9:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$242M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$76,650
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

200 instructional faculty across 3 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 61 31% $93,170
Associate Professors 84 42% $71,060
Assistant Professors 55 28% $66,866

Pros & Cons of Simmons University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Simmons University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Strong six-year graduation rate
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • High published cost of attendance before aid

Frequently Asked Questions about Simmons University

The questions families ask most about Simmons University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Simmons University hard to get into?
Admissions at Simmons University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 70%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Simmons University?
70% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Simmons University?
Aim for 1390 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1220 and 1390 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Simmons University?
Aim for 34 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 26 and 34 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Simmons University cost?
Budget around $25,265 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Simmons University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $63,494 a year against a net price of $25,265, about 2.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Simmons University known for?
Mostly Social Work, Nursing, Library Science and Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Simmons University graduates earn?
About $63,494 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Simmons University accredited?
Yes. Simmons University is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Simmons University?
1,670 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Simmons University?
81% finish within six years. Most people who start here graduate, which is the signal you want. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Simmons University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Simmons University located?
Simmons University is located in Boston, Massachusetts.
What programs does Simmons University offer?
64 different programs, most commonly Social Work, Nursing, Library Science and Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Simmons University?
9 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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