Simmons University

Simmons University maintains a moderately accessible admissions process, though its drawing power among admitted candidates remains relatively subdued. In the 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, the university was ranked 169th among national universities, moving up from 183rd in 2026 after holding 125th position in 2020. In the 2025 admissions cycle, the school recorded an acceptance rate of 70%, which was higher than 33% of peer schools in its comparison group of 30 similarly ranked private comprehensive universities. However, accepted applicants frequently choose other pathways. The university posted a yield rate of 10.8%, meaning only about one in ten admitted students decided to enroll, a figure higher than 37% of peer institutions. Because the institution does not convert a large share of acceptances into matriculated students, qualified candidates with solid academic credentials face favorable odds of admission. For families navigating college lists, these figures suggest that meeting core institutional expectations provides a predictable route to an offer of admission.

Applicants evaluating Simmons University encounter a testing profile where standardized examinations play a secondary role in admissions decisions. For the class entering in 2025, the median SAT score among enrolled students was 1,310, placing the institution higher than 67% of peer schools in its comparison group of 27 reporting private comprehensive universities. Score distributions for reading and math range comfortably in the six hundreds, while ACT scores generally sit in the high twenties and low thirties. However, the university operates with minimal testing participation. In 2025, only 17% of enrolled students submitted SAT scores, and just 3% provided ACT scores. Because an overwhelming majority of enrollees enter without standardized test scores, admissions evaluation relies primarily on high school course rigor, academic marks, and complementary portfolio factors. Prospective applicants should concentrate efforts on maintaining competitive high school grades and demonstrating academic preparation across core preparatory subjects.

Academic programs at Simmons University center heavily on healthcare and human services, with professional degrees driving graduate and undergraduate completions. At the undergraduate level, completions show moderate concentration, with the top three majors representing 37.3% of all bachelor's degrees. The single largest undergraduate program is Registered Nursing, which graduated 99 students in 2025. Nursing also translates into strong workforce outcomes: 2023 earnings data shows that graduates in registered nursing fields earned median pay of $83,265 one year after graduation. The university's highest-ranked programs reside at the graduate level, led by Library and Information Science, which was ranked 9th by U.S. News in 2025, followed by graduate Social Work, ranked 43rd in 2024. While undergraduate degree volume clusters in nursing and social work, the institution's nationally prominent standing is anchored in its specialized graduate disciplines. Prospective undergraduates targeting nursing can expect favorable post-graduation earnings, though premier departmental ranks belong to graduate divisions.

The student body at Simmons University presents a distinctive demographic structure, defined by an all-female undergraduate college alongside a coeducational graduate division. In 2025, the university enrolled 4,666 total students, with graduate students forming the majority of the campus community at 2,991 enrollees. Undergraduate enrollment is entirely female, whereas men comprise a minority of advanced degree candidates. The campus includes notable representation of Asian and international students across academic divisions. Among incoming first-year undergraduates, Asian students numbered 43 individuals, making up a significant portion of entering freshmen alongside a smaller cohort of international peers. In the graduate division, international students accounted for 116 enrollees, reflecting global participation in post-baccalaureate programs. For prospective undergraduates, this structure provides a dedicated women-centered college setting situated within an institution whose overall enrollment is largely shaped by professional graduate education.

Simmons University exhibits a sharp generational split between its undergraduate and graduate populations. In 2025, undergraduate classrooms were dominated by traditional college-age women, led by 705 students aged 20 to 21 and 659 students aged 18 to 19. Older undergraduate cohorts represent only a modest fraction of enrollment. In contrast, graduate programs attract adult learners, with the largest age group comprising 999 students between the ages of 25 and 29, followed by students in their early twenties and thirties. This demographic divide creates an undergraduate campus experience centered on standard college years, while advanced professional programs cater to individuals progressing through earlier career stages.

International student participation at Simmons University has grown across both degree levels over the past decade, though foreign scholars still comprise a compact segment of the total student body. At the undergraduate level, international students represented 5% of the student body in 2025. This proportion placed Simmons higher than 80% of peer schools in its comparison group of 30 similarly ranked private comprehensive universities. In graduate programs, international students accounted for 3.9% of advanced degree candidates. Among graduating classes in 2025, international presence varied substantially by level and field of study. International representation was minimal among undergraduate and doctoral completers, but reached high concentrations in targeted master's programs. In particular, international graduates earned 55.8% of master's degrees in Special Education and Teaching. For prospective international applicants, Simmons offers above-average undergraduate peer representation relative to private peer benchmarks, along with focused global enrollment in selected professional graduate disciplines.

Prospective students exploring Simmons University will find several prominent academic neighbors in the Boston metropolitan area. Less than a kilometer away sits Northeastern University, ranked 42nd among National Universities in 2027 and located just 0.6 kilometers from campus. Across the Fenway neighborhood at a distance of 0.9 kilometers is Boston University, holding the 34th position on the national list. Just across the Charles River, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is situated 1.4 kilometers away and ranked 1st nationally. Another nearby option within Cambridge is Harvard University, located 2.6 kilometers away and ranked 3rd. These institutions give families multiple neighboring university options within a three-kilometer radius of Simmons.

Campus safety data for Simmons University indicates a relatively controlled environment where administrative disciplinary actions outnumber major criminal offenses. In 2025, the university registered a crime rate of 4.1 per 1,000 students, marking an overall decrease from earlier years. Looking across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, the largest cumulative volume of incidents involved disciplinary referrals for behavioral violations, led by 26 liquor-law referrals and 13 drug-law referrals. Among reported criminal offenses over those same years, stalking represented the most frequent issue with 21 recorded incidents, accompanied by theft and intimate partner violence reports. These figures suggest that while personal conduct infractions and relational disputes occur, serious safety disruptions remain infrequent on campus. Families evaluating campus environment should note that university records are predominantly characterized by internal substance enforcement rather than broad violent crime.