A campus of brick and maples
Walk from the library to the lakefront in ten minutes. Autumn brings the ivy on Founders Hall into colour and the quad full of folding chairs for outdoor classes.
Public liberal arts college — Burlington, Vermont
Four years above Lake Champlain, with professors who know your name.
Merritt State College enrolls 3,900 undergraduates in a red-brick campus on a hill above the lake. Classes average sixteen students, every first-year takes a seminar with a senior professor, and Vermont residents pay a public-college tuition rate. Our graduates go on to research labs, statehouses, farms and hospitals across New England.
Life on the hill
Undergraduate research from year one
More than forty percent of juniors co-author a paper or poster. Labs in freshwater ecology, organic chemistry and public health hire students for term-time and summer.
Study groups that never close
The Aldrich Library stays open until 02:00 in exam weeks, with quiet floors, group rooms and a coffee cart staffed by students.
Club and intramural sport
Eighteen varsity-level club teams and a flag-football league that fills the south field every Wednesday evening.
Merritt at a glance
- Undergraduate students
- 3,900
- Average class size
- 16
- Majors and minors
- 52
- Employed or in graduate school within a year
- 94%
The path from application to first week
- Autumn
Visit and apply early
Campus tours run on weekdays and one Saturday a month. Early Action applications open on 1 September and close in mid-November.
- Winter
Regular decision and aid forms
File the FAFSA and the Vermont grant form by the first of February. Regular decision closes mid-January.
- Spring
Offers and decision day
Decisions arrive by 1 April. Admitted students visit for a weekend of classes, residence halls and a student panel.
- Summer
Orientation online and in person
Register for classes with an advisor in June, then arrive in late August for a three-day orientation.
Annual tuition
Tuition for two semesters, before room, board and fees. Merit scholarships of up to $9,000 are awarded automatically.
Average grant and scholarship $11,400
Vermont resident
Public-college rate.
$14,900 / year
- Full-time, 15 credits per term
- Free tutoring centre
- Library and health services
New England regional
Residents of CT, MA, ME, NH, RI.
$22,800 / year
- Reciprocal-state discount
- Merit scholarships
- First-year seminar
Out of region
All other applicants.
$33,600 / year
- Merit scholarships up to $9,000
- Honours college eligibility
- Study-abroad grants
Frequently asked by applicants
Do I need test scores?
No. Merritt is test-optional. If you do send a score we consider it alongside your grades, essays and recommendations.
Can I live off campus as a first-year?
First-year students live in residence halls unless they live with family within thirty miles of Burlington.
Is there a transfer path from community colleges?
Yes. Graduates of Vermont community colleges with a 3.0 average are guaranteed admission with at least 60 credits transferred.
Visit Merritt
400 College Hill Road, Burlington, VT 05401
- Admissions office Mon–Fri 08:30–16:30
- Campus tours at 10:00 and 14:00
+1 802 555 0116
Request information
Tell us what you would like to study and we will send a viewbook and the name of an admissions counselor for your region.