Simmons University
Simmons University is a private university offering women-centered undergraduate and coeducational graduate and online programs.
Founded
1899Simmons University is a private university offering women-centered undergraduate and coeducational graduate and online programs.
Simmons University offers a women-centered undergraduate experience with more than 35 majors across six schools, alongside coeducational graduate and online programs. Degrees span bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels in fields such as business, social work, nursing, library and information science, behavior analysis, nutrition, and public policy.
Programs are delivered on campus, online, and in hybrid formats, with accelerated and online degree-completion options for adult learners. Non-degree executive education serves women leaders through offerings including the Strategic Leadership for Women Certificate, and the university's School of Management opened the first MBA program designed specifically for women in 1974.
Simmons is the only women-centered university in Boston, pairing a small-campus community of about 1,575 undergraduates with access to the city's academic, medical, and professional networks. The undergraduate curriculum integrates hands-on experiential learning and structured advising through the Simmons PLAN.
Its professional schools occupy distinct niches: the School of Management created the first MBA designed specifically for women, and graduate programs in behavior analysis, children's literature, and library and information science hold national recognition. Selection as one of 25 institutions for the inaugural Carnegie Leadership for Public Purpose Classification underscores its public-purpose positioning.
Simmons is a tuition-driven private nonprofit university; undergraduate applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships awarded on academic achievement, leadership, community service, and the application essay. Students finance remaining costs through federal and private student loans, with the Office of Financial Services advising on available aid.
Graduate students can pursue merit-based scholarships alongside federal and private loan options, and the university emphasizes clear cost information and one-on-one admission counseling to support financing decisions. Philanthropic gifts supplement the model, including a 2022 $5 million gift that endowed the Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership and Engagement.