Merrimack College received a record number of undergraduate applications this admission season, eclipsing the 15,000 mark for the first time in the College’s history.
As of the first week of February, the College received 15,540 undergraduate applications for the 2025-26 academic year, surpassing Merrimack’s previous record of 14,070 for the 2024-25 academic year.
“The record number of applications this year is a testament to the growing recognition of Merrimack’s transformative impact,” said Gianna Voccola, senior associate vice president for enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admission. “It’s clear that students are increasingly drawn to the opportunity to be part of a community that fosters growth, innovation and academic excellence.”
In addition to the highest total of undergraduate applications received, the 2025-26 application pool features the largest increase in applicants from outside New England and the largest increase in students with a weighted GPA over 4.0. There were also applications from 1,100 high schools Merrimack College had not received an application from previously.
Prospective students for 2025-26 are also very interested in some of Merrimack College’s newest and innovative academic offerings. The College received 1,250 applications for combined majors, up from 114 this time last year, and nearly 500 applications were received for the Bachelor’s in Humanities.
And with record applications comes record attendance at the College’s Admitted Student Day (ASD). More than 1,100 students registered for one of three ASD events Merrimack is hosting this spring semester, representing a 9 percent increase from last year. Already 459 of those registrants attended the first ASD on Feb. 8.
The continued growing interest in Merrimack over the past decade has led to the College’s most academically high-performing and motivated freshman classes.
From 2012 to 2023, the number of applicants to Merrimack with a 3.5 GPA or higher rose by an astounding 733 percent. From 2010 to 2020, Merrimack’s enrollment has increased 102 percent. And students applying to Merrimack today are more regularly applying to schools such as Tufts, Boston University and Boston College, elevating the College into a new peer institution group.
“Merrimack has a much stronger brand and much stronger recognition in the marketplace,” said Voccola. “There have been many smart decisions at the institutional levels that have allowed us to recruit and enroll the students we are.”
