Samuel Merritt University

Type	Private university
Established	1909; 117 years ago (1909)
Endowment	$49.1 million (2020)[1]
Academic staff	204
Undergraduates	768
Postgraduates	736
Doctoral students	502
Location	Oakland , California , United States 37°49′15.53″N122°15′49.56″W / 37.8209806°N 122.2637667°W /37.8209806; -122.2637667
Campus	Urban
Website	www.samuelmerritt.edu

Samuel Merritt University (SMU) is aprivate university focused onhealth sciences with its main campus inOakland, California, and other facilities inSacramento,San Mateo andFresno. It was an affiliate of theSutter Health Network andAlta Bates Summit Medical Center until it disaffiliated in January, 2022, becoming a wholly independent institution. It is the only provider ofphysical therapists,occupational therapists, andphysician assistants and is the largest source ofnurses in the greaterEast Bay.^[2][3] 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 ofPodiatric Medicine

Samuel Merritt University was founded in 1909 through the legacy ofSamuel Merritt.

In recent years, Samuel Merritt has increased its enrollment from 146 to over 2,000 graduate and undergraduate students^[4] and added new programs in the health sciences.

The Intercollegiate Nursing Program withSaint Mary's College of California was established in 1981.^[5] Samuel Merritt College established the entry-level Master ofPhysical Therapy in 1990, the Master ofOccupational Therapy in 1992. The College also offers a Master of Science in Nursing three advanced nursing specialties:Case Management,Family nurse practitioner (FNP), and Nurse Anesthesia (CRNA). In 2005, the department of Physical Therapy graduated its firstDoctor of Physical Therapy class.

The university started the Master Physician Assistant program in 1999, the first entry-level graduate program for physician assistants in California,^{[citation needed]} and in 2002 established theCalifornia School of Podiatric Medicine. In 2023, SMU added three new programs: aMaster of Social Work, a Bachelor inKinesiology, and a Master of Science in Nursing-Clinical Leadership Education.

In 2026, the university plans to open a new campus indowntown Oakland.^[6]

SMU is a university dedicated to health sciences, including three at the undergraduate level in nursing and kinesiology. Podiatric medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing practice are all offered at the doctoral level while the physician assistant program is offered at the master's level.^[7] The university's average graduation rate is 95 percent and student scores on licensure pass rates are 90 percent or above for first-time test takers in six programs.^[8]

The university isaccredited by theWASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)^[9] and its programs are accredited by their corresponding accreditation bodies:

• Official website

• Universities and colleges established in 1909
• Education in Oakland, California
• Nursing schools in California
• Podiatric medical schools in the United States
• Universities and colleges in Alameda County, California
• Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
• 1909 establishments in California
• Private universities and colleges in California

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