Samuel Merritt University
Samuel Merritt University is a private, non-profit health sciences institution founded in 1909, operating four Northern California campuses plus online programs across colleges of Nursing, Health Sciences, and Podiatric Medicine.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1909
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Samuel Merritt University does
Samuel Merritt University (SMU) is a private, non-profit health sciences institution founded in 1909 and headquartered in Oakland, California. It operates four Northern California campuses — Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno, and Foster City — and delivers select programs online. The institution is organized into three colleges: Nursing, Health Sciences, and Podiatric Medicine, offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and certificate credentials including a 12-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN), an online Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP), a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) completion track, a Bachelor of Health Science, an Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD), a Master of Health Administration (MHA), a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), and a Bridge to Podiatric Residency for international medical graduates.
Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees across these programs, with 86% of students receiving Cal Grant, institutional, or other aid. Course-materials revenue is captured via the SMU Books+ program, an exclusive partnership with Barnes & Noble College that bundles textbooks into tuition, and tuition discounts are offered through employer partnerships including a 20% alumni and Sutter Health employee scholarship.
The underlying technology infrastructure centers on an iLearn iPad initiative that distributes Apple devices to students, a dedicated Health Sciences Simulation Center for clinical skills training, and Canvas as the learning management system for course delivery. SMU maintains a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio and is ranked #1 in California for post-graduation employment (Zippia) and #1 in the U.S. for early career prospects (Forbes), reflecting an educational model oriented toward workforce placement in clinical professions.
Samuel Merritt University firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Samuel Merritt University
- Legal name
- Samuel Merritt University
- Website
- https://samuelmerritt.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1909
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Samuel Merritt University is a private, non-profit health sciences institution founded in 1909, operating four Northern California campuses plus online programs across colleges of Nursing, Health Sciences, and Podiatric Medicine.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Samuel Merritt University industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education - Health Sciences
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)
Keywords
Where Samuel Merritt University is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Samuel Merritt University business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue from tuition and fees for undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and certificate healthcare programs across nursing, health sciences, and podiatric medicine disciplines. Financial aid packages combine grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study.
- Course Materials (Books+): Course materials cost included in student tuition through SMU Books+ program partnered with Barnes & Noble College. Physical books on rental basis with digital access through Canvas LMS.
- Scholarships and Grants: Offers institutional scholarships including 20% tuition scholarship for alumni returning for another degree, and 20% tuition scholarship for Sutter Health employees in College of Nursing programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Cal Grant for California residents |
| Subscription | Annual | SMU Alumni Scholarship - 20% tuition discount |
| Subscription | Annual | Sutter Employee Scholarship - 20% tuition discount |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Samuel Merritt University product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Samuel Merritt University is a private health sciences institution that delivers higher-education degree programs in nursing, medicine, physician assistant studies, podiatry, physical and occupational therapy, and other allied health professions, primarily serving students seeking careers in clinical healthcare. It also operates health-focused clinical learning environments and a health center. [Inferred from company name and absent detailed source content]
Product overview
Samuel Merritt University is a healthcare-focused educational institution offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and nursing certificate programs across four Northern California campuses and online. The university's academic portfolio centers on three colleges: College of Nursing (ABSN, MSN-FNP, RN to BSN), College of Health Sciences (BHS, OTD, MHA), and College of Podiatric Medicine (DPM, Bridge to Podiatric Residency). Supporting educational delivery are technology programs including iLearn with iPads providing device access to students, and SMU Books+ managing course material distribution. The institution also operates specialized facilities including the Health Sciences Simulation Center for hands-on clinical training and the Motion Analysis Research Center for podiatric research. SMU Central serves as the student portal for accessing institutional resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Health Sciences Degree Programs Undergraduate and graduate degree programs in nursing, medicine, physician assistant studies, podiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other allied health professions, for students pursuing clinical healthcare careers. [Inferred from company name]
Quantifiable outcome
- 86% of students receive financial aid
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Samuel Merritt University
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Samuel Merritt University technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature3 records
Samuel Merritt University partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Barnes & Noble CollegecoreBarnes & Noble College is SMU's exclusive course materials partner for the SMU Books+ program. The partnership provides textbook rental, digital delivery through Canvas LMS, and course material packaging and fulfillment. Students receive all required materials before first day of class with cost included in tuition, saving students an estimated 35-50% on books each term.
- Sutter HealthcoreSutter Health employees enrolled in College of Nursing programs receive a 20% tuition scholarship per semester. This partnership helps address healthcare workforce shortages while supporting Sutter employees in advancing their nursing careers.
- Arthaus PropertiesminorArthaus Properties partners with SMU to offer students affordable housing near the Oakland campus. Available properties include Ninth (685 9th St.), Jack London (233 Broadway), Grand (220 Grand Ave.), Hannah Park (2850 Hannah St.), and Yerba Buena (1035 Yerba Buena, Emeryville). Students receive SMU discounted rates.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Samuel Merritt University competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- University of San Francisco (USF): USF is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco with comparable nursing, health sciences, and graduate health programs serving the same Bay Area student market as SMU. Both compete for healthcare-focused students in Northern California.
- MGH Institute of Health Professions: MGH IHP is a private health-sciences-only graduate school offering nursing, physical therapy, OT, and other clinical programs—directly mirroring SMU's health-sciences specialization with similar accelerated and bridge pathways.
- Rush University: Rush is a private health-sciences university in Chicago with colleges of nursing, health sciences, and medicine—matching SMU's three-college structure and focus on accelerated and graduate-level clinical training.
- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science: Rosalind Franklin is a private, health-sciences-only university in Illinois offering nursing, podiatric medicine, and allied health programs—an unusually close structural peer given SMU's podiatry college is one of only a handful in the U.S.
- Loma Linda University: Loma Linda is a private health-sciences university in Southern California with schools of nursing, allied health, and medicine—competing with SMU for California nursing and health-sciences applicants statewide.
- Touro University California: Touro California is a private health-professions university offering osteopathic medicine, nursing, and health sciences in Vallejo—directly overlapping with SMU's program mix in the California Bay/Valley region.
- University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences: USAHS is a private, health-sciences-only graduate university offering OTD, DPT, and nursing programs—comparable in mission and target audience to SMU's College of Health Sciences and College of Nursing.
Broad incumbents
- National University: National University is a large private, non-profit university based in San Diego offering broad online and campus-based programs including nursing and health administration—cited in SMU's own governance context and a broader competitor for online nursing and healthcare degrees.
- Chamberlain University: Chamberlain is a national, for-profit health-sciences university (Adtalem) offering BSN, accelerated nursing, and graduate nursing programs online and across multiple campuses—a scaled competitor particularly for SMU's online and ABSN programs.
- West Coast University: West Coast University is a for-profit health-sciences university with strong California campus presence (including LA, Ontario, and Orange County) competing directly for BSN, MSN, and OTD applicants.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Samuel Merritt University social profiles
Digital presenceSamuel Merritt University compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Samuel Merritt University financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Samuel Merritt University leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Samuel Merritt University funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Samuel Merritt University M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Samuel Merritt University
What does Samuel Merritt University do?
Samuel Merritt University is a private health sciences institution that delivers higher-education degree programs in nursing, medicine, physician assistant studies, podiatry, physical and occupational therapy, and other allied health professions, primarily serving students seeking careers in clinical healthcare. It also operates health-focused clinical learning environments and a health center. [Inferred from company name and absent detailed source content]
Is Samuel Merritt University a public or private company?
Samuel Merritt University is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Samuel Merritt University founded?
Samuel Merritt University was founded in 1909.
Where is Samuel Merritt University based?
Samuel Merritt University is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Samuel Merritt University make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are course Materials (Books+) and scholarships and Grants.
Who are Samuel Merritt University's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are University of San Francisco (USF), MGH Institute of Health Professions, Rush University, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Loma Linda University, Touro University California and University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Broad incumbents are National University, Chamberlain University and West Coast University.
Does Samuel Merritt University have an API?
No public API is recorded for Samuel Merritt University.
What industry is Samuel Merritt University in?
Samuel Merritt University's product category is Higher Education - Health Sciences. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHABAA, Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary). Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.