

Simmons University is institutionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, or NECHE. Institutional accreditation evaluates the university as a whole; it is distinct from accreditation or approval of an individual degree program.
Professional fields can have additional requirements. Applicants to nursing, social work, library and information science, or other credential-oriented programs should verify the current accreditation of their exact program and, where relevant, its eligibility for licensure in the state where they plan to work. Accreditation can be an important condition for federal financial aid, but it does not guarantee that another college will accept a transfer credit or that a graduate will receive a license.
First-year applicants to Simmons generally apply with a secondary-school record and evidence of preparation for college-level work. The university is selective rather than open-admission: its reported first-year figures show 3,340 students admitted from 4,773 applicants, or about 70%.
Applicants should expect to submit an application and high school transcript; recommendations and academic performance are part of the review. The reported admissions requirements identify a college-preparatory curriculum, while class rank is considered when available rather than required. Simmons has treated SAT and ACT scores as optional for general first-year review; an applicant should check the policy for their entry term and program before deciding whether to send scores. Among enrolled first-time students, 17% submitted SAT scores and 3% submitted ACT scores, so the reported test-score medians do not describe the entire entering class.
Applicants whose prior education was not taught in English may need to document English proficiency. Nursing and other specialized pathways can have additional prerequisites or progression rules. First-year, transfer, international, and graduate applicants should follow their own application instructions and deadlines rather than assuming one set of requirements applies to everyone.
Simmons applicants should check the fee displayed for their specific application before submitting it; undergraduate and graduate application routes need not use the same fee or waiver process. An application fee is separate from any enrollment deposit due after admission.
Applicants who cannot afford a fee should review the waiver options available through their application route and ask admissions about institutional eligibility before submission. Fee waivers commonly require an applicant to select an eligible option or obtain approval during the application process; paying first should not be assumed to result in a refund.
Simmons students can pursue Army ROTC through a cooperating institution rather than an Army ROTC unit operated by Simmons on its own campus. This distinction matters because military-science classes, training, and administrative requirements may involve travel to the host institution.
ROTC participation and an ROTC scholarship are separate decisions. Scholarships have their own eligibility and selection rules, and commissioning normally entails a military service obligation. Interested students should confirm the current cross-enrollment arrangement, transportation expectations, and degree-plan compatibility with the host Army ROTC program before enrolling. They should not assume that availability of one branch establishes access to Air Force or Navy ROTC.
Simmons accepts applications from transfer students for fall and spring entry and generally considers college credits earned at accredited institutions. Admission as a transfer student does not mean every previous course will satisfy a Simmons degree requirement.
Transfer applicants should be prepared to provide official transcripts from each college attended and any secondary-school records required for their circumstances. The evaluation can distinguish credit awarded, credit applied to a major, and credit applied to general requirements. Simmons also reports accepting some credit through Advanced Placement, CLEP subject examinations, and prior learning, subject to applicable policies.
Before committing, a prospective transfer student should request a program-specific credit evaluation and ask how many Simmons credits remain, whether courses must be completed at Simmons, and whether a nursing or other sequenced major has separate entry requirements. An admissions decision and an official transfer-credit determination answer different questions.
Simmons students may explore study abroad as part of an undergraduate degree, but the feasible options depend on their major, academic calendar, and the approval of proposed courses. A semester away and a short-term program can have very different effects on degree progress.
Students should use Simmons' international-education advising process to establish whether a proposed opportunity is university-run, offered through a partner, or provided by an approved outside organization. Before paying a program deposit, they should obtain written guidance on course equivalencies, financial aid, housing and travel costs, and any clinical or field-placement conflicts. Passport, visa, and health requirements also depend on the destination and program.
11% of admitted students enrolled (361 of 3,340)
Regular application deadline
February 1Early Decision
NoEarly Action
Yes, deadline November 1Median composite SAT score
1250Median composite ACT score
29Percent of students submitting ACT scores
3%Percent of students submitting SAT scores
17%High school completions
General Educational Development (GED) requiredComputer required
NoComputer purchase/lease plan is available in the institution
YesSecondary school GPA
RequiredSecondary school rank
Considered but not requiredSecondary school record
RequiredCompletion of college-preparatory program
RequiredRecommendations
RequiredFormal demonstration of competencies
Neither required nor recommendedAdmission test scores
Considered but not requiredTOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language
RequiredOther Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)
Neither required nor recommendedOpen admission policy
NoDual credit
NoCredit for life experiences
YesAdvanced placement (AP) credits
YesOrientation program
YesDisabilities services
YesOff-campus study
YesROTC-Army
ROTC branch unit at a cooperating host institutionStudy abroad
YesWeekend/evening college
YesStudent can complete their preparation in certain areas of specialization
YesPreparation at another institution required
NoApproved by the state for initial certification or licensure of teacher
YesGenerally accepts credits
YesAccept ACE recommendation for credit
YesPossible transfer
Fall, SpringData last updated on November 5, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.