Undergraduate
Forty-eight majors across the College of Arts & Sciences, Engineering and the Conservatory, with a four-year adviser from day one.
View requirementsEstablished 1874 · Meridian, New England
Where curiosity becomes a calling.
A liberal-arts foundation, research that reaches the field, and a community of 8,400 who ask better questions — on a 320-acre campus in the Meridian Valley.
- 1874 Founded
- 0 Students
- 0 Student–faculty
- 0 Majors & 60 minors
- 0 Outcomes in 6 months
Academic Programs
Six ways to study here
Every Meridian student takes the Common Core in the first two years — writing, quantitative reasoning, a lab science and a global perspectives seminar — then moves into the pathway that fits the life they are building.
Graduate & Doctoral
Thirty-two master's programs and fourteen Ph.D. tracks, most fully funded, in labs and field stations from the Meridian Valley to the Gulf of Maine.
View requirementsProfessional Schools
The School of Law, the Aldridge School of Business and the School of Public Health — professional training with a required practicum in the field.
View requirementsOnline & Hybrid
Twenty-plus degrees and certificates taught by the same faculty who teach on campus, with two short residencies in Meridian each year.
View requirementsSummer & Pre-College
Four-, six- and eight-week sessions, plus a residential Pre-College Institute for rising high-school juniors and seniors each July.
View requirementsExecutive & Lifelong
Weekend executive formats, graduate certificates and open enrollment for alumni and community members — no application fee, rolling review.
View requirements
Campus Life
A campus that keeps you in it
Twelve residential colleges put a dining table, a study room and a resident tutor within a two-minute walk of every first-year bed. It is a small town built for one purpose.
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Residential colleges & dining
Twelve colleges of roughly 350 students each, four dining halls and a student-run farm that supplies the kitchens twice a week.
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Arts & culture on campus
The Alcott Auditorium, the Meridian Museum of Art and forty student ensembles — from the Symphony Orchestra to the midnight improv league.
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Athletics & the outdoors
Twenty-four varsity teams, a boathouse on the Meridian River, and 26 miles of maintained trail leaving straight from the east gate.
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Labs, makerspaces & libraries
Three libraries, the Halloran fabrication lab and a 24-hour makerspace open to every student, regardless of major.
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180+ student organizations
From the Model UN delegation to the cider-pressing society — and a fast funding path for anything that does not exist yet.
Admission
Three steps, one honest review
Meridian reads every file whole — school context, essay, and what you have made or led outside the transcript. There is no formula, and no advantage to applying early beyond the calendar.
Submit your application
Apply through the Common App or the Meridian Portal. A $75 fee, waived automatically for Pell-eligible and first-generation applicants.
Share your story
Transcript, two recommendations, and a 650-word essay. Select programs also accept a portfolio, audition reel or research abstract.
Interview & review
An optional conversation with an admissions officer or alum, then holistic review by the committee. Decisions land within six to eight weeks.
What you will need
- Completed application — no separate supplement
- Secondary-school transcript or equivalent
- Two letters of recommendation
- Personal essay — 650 words, any prompt
- English proficiency for international applicants (TOEFL 100 / IELTS 7.0)
- Portfolio, audition or abstract for select programs
Key deadlines
| Deadline | Date | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I | Nov 1 | Binding |
| Early Action | Nov 15 | Non-binding |
| Regular Decision | Jan 5 | Priority aid |
| Financial Aid | Feb 1 | FAFSA · CSS |
| Transfer Entry | Mar 15 | Fall & spring |
Faculty Highlights
Taught by people still doing the work
Ninety-one percent of undergraduate classes are taught by faculty, not graduate students — and every faculty member here keeps an active practice, lab or studio.
Materials Science
Dr. Eleanor Vance
Whitlock Professor of Materials Science
“A lab is just a room where a question is allowed to take four years.”
Economics
Dr. Marcus Aldridge
Dean, Aldridge School of Business
“Teach the model, then make them defend it in front of people it affects.”
Public Health
Dr. Rachel Sandoval
Director, Coastal Resilience Institute
“Our field site is 40 minutes from this classroom. The gap between them is the whole curriculum.”
Comparative Literature
Dr. Daniel Park
Professor of Comparative Literature
“Close reading is not a school subject. It is how you refuse to be lied to.”
Events Calendar
What is happening on campus
Lectures, concerts and open houses are free and open to the public unless noted. Visitors park at the Welcome Center on East Gate Road.
Early DecisionNov 1
Open HouseOct 24
Regular DecisionJan 5
08Oct
Meridian Forum: The Future of Materials Science
Lecture · Whitlock Hall18:00–19:30Free, registration required
Lecture 17OctHomecoming & Alumni Weekend
Campus-wide · All dayTailgate on the north lawnAlumni & families
Tradition 24OctUndergraduate Open House & Campus Tour
Welcome Center · 09:00–14:00Information session with admissionsProspective students
Admissions 05NovFall Concert: Meridian Symphony Orchestra
Performance · Alcott Auditorium19:30Tickets from $12, students free
Arts 14NovResearch Symposium: Climate & Coastal Resilience
Symposium · Halloran Labs10:00–16:00Open to the public
Research 03DecWinter Convocation & Dean's List Ceremony
Ceremony · Memorial Chapel16:00Families welcome
CeremonyAdmission · Fall 2027
Applications are open.
One application, one fee waiver path, one honest review. Start today and we will walk you through every deadline that follows.
Early Decision deadline · November 1 · Need-based aid for 62% of students