The campus itself is beautiful and calm compared to many urban campuses, and many of the professors genuinely care about student success. If you are motivated and willing to advocate for yourself, you can receive a solid education and prepare to transfer or enter the workforce. However, like many community colleges, the experience can vary depending on the department or office you interact with. Some administrative processes, especially around financial aid or student services can feel slow or confusing at times, which can create frustration for students who rely on those resources. There are unwarranted delays, denials, and systemic procedurals around the resources that are in place to help students. Overall, Merritt College provides opportunity, affordability, and dedicated instructors, but there is room for improvement in communication and administrative support. Students who stay focused and take advantage of available resources can definitely succeed here, that's if you can get them. read more

Alumni student back on campus attending a series of trainings for my job. Being back in campus made me reflect how far I've come in my life. I attended school here as a single mother and received an AA degree before moving on with my educational journey. I made a full complete circle coming back to the place where I began which eventually led me to my current employer. As I sent here during the lunch break and not rushing to a class I can fully appreciate all the beauty this campus has to offer with the awesome view of the city behind parking lot C and the manicured lawns, trees,and plants along the paths. read more

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I was a vendor. They took between 5 months and 1 year to get me paid. In the Art Dept. considering this.. I don't trust this school to do business effectively. read more

Good school but absolutely horrible for a disabled student. Most of the elevators and lifts do not work. It's extremely difficult to access buildings from one to another if you can't climb stairs. I wanted to go to the cafeteria from the P building. Lift door was LOCKED and then I went past a OUT OF SERVICE elevator at the basement in student services building and found a tunnel that led to an elevator in the library that allowed to to access the cafeteria and registration offices. This is BADBAD for disabled students. read more

Their admission and records (A&R) sucks. It took me a year to get my diploma. I emailed, went on zoom, went in person, and left emptyhanded over and over again. I would promptly email my assigned A&R counselor and just get left on read. I would talk to her over zoom and was told she would mail me my diploma, waited 2 months and nothing. I came by and she wasn't there, so they refused to print it out for me. Every time I spoke to her she sounded swamped and apologized profusely, but it's hard to be compassionate when I had to jump through hoops for over a year to get a VERY IMPORTANT piece of paper. It took her 5 mins to print out my diploma when I finally got it. If I had gotten my diploma in a timely manner, I would've gotten into a nursing program since the diploma added just enough points to be admitted. It is not just a piece of paper they delayed on; they needlessly obstructed me from a transfer and career path I worked very hard for. They kept telling me it was because of covid etc. that things were so disorganized. We've been in a pandemic for almost three years now. You're telling me you guys can't get the staff or competency to do your job? You guys can't learn to email back in a prompt manner, use calendars/alarms to organize your lives, or even follow up with students? Also, you guys don't even have listed times for when you're going to be on campus for students to visit if they have issues online (campus now has limited open hours)? The incompetence and lack of follow up is just astounding and a horrific experience. I loved the science classes here, but I would rethink going to Merritt if it meant I'd have to experience their A&R again. DO BETTER read more

Be aware that this is a barely functioning institution. Applied back in October. Never heard back. No rejection, no welcome email. Emailed the help desk which sent an ID but no temporary password. Now in December I have no way to log in to do anything. No way to access the email account. I've since been trying to get helped by Admissions, but good luck trying to get anyone on the phone who can or will do anything for you. Anyone who answers email will point you to someone who doesn't. I've been in contact with the help desk since November without making progress. Will probably miss my chance to register for prerequisites for a program that comes around only every other year, and for what? Why? This would have been resolved a long time ago at pretty much any other community college in the Bay Area. Foothill, Cañada, CCSF, wherever. It probably wouldn't happen there in the first place. read more

Just posting photos for my old review previously written , if you need help you you need to really advocate for yourself ! Get in involved with programas and clubs they can really help remember to go on rate my professor to check out teachers for online or in class classes read more

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Staff takes forever to respond to emails, especially ones who work in the nursing department. Was told that I was missing qualifications (despite applying the year before and not having a problem) and when I emailed them MULTIPLE TIMES asking what qualifications I'm missing, no response. I've heard good things about the program but haven't seen the good things they are praised about. Going to get done with this semester and moving to another school. If you want a responsive staff, pick another school. read more

You have to really want to attend this school if you want to be admitted, because the online admissions website is possibly the worst designed, most frustrating and useless bit of nonsense ever posted on the internet. Take a bit of advice from an all-too experienced user and just go to the campus, stand in line for a few hours, and sign up in person. The Merritt website will do serious damage to your brain. It makes one wonder if the school itself is equally bad. read more

Merritt College has been my entry into my new life. I changed careers and it all began with a few classes here, and i haven't looked back since. My teachers have been wonderful overall, and I feel I am learning real world material from experienced professionals. It is a small school, and I have taken most of my classes online so i can't speak to the campus, but the school does a great job of helping those that need extra assistance to be able to take classes and to create a community with students and staff. read more

I'm only a few weeks into my first semester but I am loving it! I LOVE half my classes, and I appreciate the other half. Though lemme tell you, don't be shy to ask for opinions about professors before picking your class. Making sure you get the right one for YOU will shape your while experience. I would really like to see it better staffed though. It is very very very difficult to get appointments in a timely manner, though I'm very happy with what staff they have. I just wish they had more. I've driven quite a distance just to find stations essentially abandoned for the day, which makes it pretty hard to enroll or discuss things. read more

I'm the beginning of the spring semester 2023 January, I tried enrolling and contacting several counselors. None of them replied until almost a month later. By this time my course had already started. Even then my emails were still not replied and I could not enroll in the class due to needling a permissions code. The head director of the cyber security department never replied to any of my emails as well. I finally was able to get get in the class but missed half of the class assignments which meant I had to catch up a 2 month course in 4 weeks. Now the spring semester is over and I'm trying to enroll for the 2023 fall semester but it turns out that I can't enroll in 2 of my classes because I need a CIS 7 pre requisite, which was never mentioned on my cyber security program requirements. Now I will be held back possibly. Merritt College staff is a mess. Because of their mistakes students have to pay the price. If I were you I would look elsewhere to get your education don't enroll at Merritt College Oakland. read more

Best panoramic view of the Bay on a clear, sunny day. No doubts. The school itself isn't so bad either. It's a clean and pretty campus. read more

Let me just add that the admissions or career "counseling"- (who ever it is you see to get an override of a pre-req to get into a class) are soo dumb and patronizing. Case of person with too little education given too much power. I havent even started classes yet and I'm already fed up with the administration, I'm just praying that everything will go smoothly and I'll never have to deal with them or need anyone's help for any sort of problem. I had to go in person (which was hella far from where i live) to see the counselor HERE at THIS location only so that I could show her my transcript (which shows that I have a bachelors degree in biology already- i just need a few pre-req's for nursing) because apparently faxing it over is not a valid method. After wasting an incredible amount of my time as she made me give her course descriptions for everything (like general biology) she finally signed my override for all my classes, but oh no, NOT without giving me an attitude, of course. Anyway, I did this months before registration b/c i didnt wanna wait till the last minute and have the classes fil up, since those that I need are high in demand and fill quickly. Registration day comes, I'm flying back from the east coast and have a lay over in chicago and I try registering- blocked... called admission and got it unblocked, thought i was in the clear... nope, can't sign up for the pre-req's because I dont have permission!!!!!! WHICH IS WHAT I GOT FROM THE COUNSELOR 2 months prior! I'm frustrated. I call her, and asked her to fix the problem. Again I had to remind her I ALREADY HAVE A BACHELORS degree in this subject I'm trying to take classes in.... She says she'll look into it and then calls me back and leaves me a message with a NASTY attitude that she already signed my override when she saw me, try again it must be my fault that I'm blocked... and low and behold, I try again now I can sign up- seems she did SOMETHING after that phone call and didnt want to take responsibility for not doing it in the first place. I know that's long....I just had to rant read more

Love the Barbara Lee building. The whole college should be named after this local hero. The only politician who makes any sense these days. Been in the big art room where they hold drawing marathons a few times each year. Glad they have water fountains/water bottle filling stations. Great views from up here too. read more

Ahhhhhhh Merritt.. how I've missed you... It's a small, homey campus. The teachers are FABulous. Understanding and intelligent. The classes are usually small, so it's easy to get alot of personal attention from a teacher. This is what I miss. You're bound to see someone you know when you're walking around here. that doesn't happen at my school now. read more

I took one class here to further my knowledge base in law for my job. I would never make this mistake again. The teacher was a nice enough person but was not particularly invested in the class. The students - good god. I did not expect Stanford law school, but I did not expect my classmates to come in on the short bus, either. Too many of the class acted like middle schoolers, and I am honestly not exaggerating. I got an A in the class, but a chimp could've done just as well, so I don't even feel proud of it. And then there's the cashier's office and other student services. If you expect them to act like professional adults, good luck. No one returns a phone call or an email, or answers a phone or treats you with respect when you do get through. This whole venture was a waste of my time and money. read more

I come here for one class only and it's at night. I'm enrolled at Berkeley City College as well but this school offered the class I need at the time that was convenient and worked around my work schedule. Merritt is a big school with ample parking. They offer the nursing program here with an associates degree and many other associate degree programs. I come to night school and would advise those of you who do as well to walk with a friend to your car. It's dark and woodsy in the area. Public transportation runs to and from the school as well. Great teachers teach at the Peralta colleges, my sociology 1a teacher Greg Z. was awesome and also teached at UC Berkeley. read more

I do my best to avoid going to the admin office whenever I can but I had to go in today to transfer my credits to another university. There were 4 people behind the counter sitting at their desks so I approached the counter and waited for someone to help me. All of them saw me standing there and not one bothered to leave their desk or asked if I needed help. One of them finally yelled from her desk, "YOU NEED HELP??" with a stinkin' attitude. (No you idiot, I like standing at the Admin counter because it's fun.) I told her (politely) what I needed and her reply was of course, topped with more condescending attitude. She told me I needed to do the transcript request at the computers in the corner of the room, but spoke to me in a manner that suggested I was a fucking idiot for not knowing. Seriously lady, if you hate people that much, why don't you do yourself and everyone else a favor by living in the wilderness since human beings annoy you so much? Anyway, Merritt College has such a beautiful campus and can be such a promising school but the people in the Admin office needs to go. Like another reviewer said, too much power is given to the incompetent behind the counter. They could probably benefit by learning a thing or two from the staff at College of Alameda, at least they pretend to like their students even if they don't. What impression are you giving your new students when you guys are the first people they have to deal with when they register for classes? I've had previous encounters with the admin office at Merritt, where I've been given the run-around and have seen more unprofessionalism. School is definitely not the place where anyone should be treated like shit, they have the DMV for that. If you need help you'll probably have better luck at Laney or College of Alameda, although I wouldn't consider them great either...just a lot better than Merritt College. Don't get me wrong, GREAT teachers though. Just a shitty admin with the mannerisms comparable to that of the people at the DMV. read more

Before transferring to a 4 year university I took courses at Merritt and I have to agree with other yelpers- the administration staff is a nightmare! Seriously, they told me 4 or 5 different things on multiple occasions resulting in me not being able to get what I properly needed to transfer until 3 months later. And please do not ever take a psych class with Slaughter! He barely showed up- once on exam day he even failed to show up because his car died. Seriously? And this is the professor here. His TA also does most of his work for him, and once almost got into a fight with another student. However, there are some really great professors at Merritt and the campus is GORGEOUS! Just get all your administration/registration/financial aid paperwork done PRONTO because they will take forever. Keep bugging them until you get what you need, it's your education! read more

Let me break it down here... 5/5: The teachers at Merritt are amazing! I took pretty much all of the science pre-reqs for nursing here and I had all great teachers. It really shows that the science department is the best at Merritt. All of the teachers I've had here are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. 3/4: The financial aid department was a nightmare! There is one lady in particular that was just extremely rude, and was extremely unhelpful. I went to talk to her to see if I could adjust my financial aid since my father passed away, she just looked at me like I was stupid, and rudely told me that I was pretty much just wasting my time talking to her. 4/5: The counseling office at Merritt is MUCH more helpful than at Berkeley City College. I remember at BCC it took me 2 months to get an appt with one of the counselors. At Merritt it only took 1 week! The staff out front are really nice and are very helpful as well. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Merritt. The staff overall are really nice and helpful. read more

The best teachers in California are here! I loved going to Merritt for one semester, it kinda made me feel like I should have went here for two years after high school, then transferred. Anyways, love this cc science department and Black studies department was amazing! Helpful staff, chill students (Oakland culture), highly recommend. read more

Edit: Warning! DO NOT sign up to use the computer lab unless you're ok with "supervised tutoring" appearing on your transcript! The Good: Great place to complete nursing pre-reqs -- classes aren't nearly as impacted as at other schools. Teachers have been excellent. Easy parking. The Bad: Administration is dysfunctional. Library is cramped, hot, and noisy. Cafe isn't so great. read more

The teachers are great and so are the other staff members. I would say it is pretty positive all the way around. Take a class and learn something, then stay for the sunset. read more

I'm really conflicted about this review score. On the one hand, my teachers in the Landscape Horticulture department are awesome and amazing and I'm learning a ton and having a lot of fun and have no complaints. I have trouble sticking to the classes I need to take for my degree because all of them sound so interesting. On the other hand, signing up for those classes was such a pain in the ass and I hate every time I have to deal with the administration on the main campus because it's so dysfunctional. New students are all required to do assessment tests even if they're not taking any classes that have math or English prerequisites. They are also required to attend an orientation session that is filled with misinformation. For example, they told me that after I go to the counseling office to get my schedule paperwork, to walk right across the hall and take it to the front desk at registration to sign up. After following these instructions and standing in a super long line for 45 minutes to get to the front desk, the person there told me that I could just use the computers on the side to sign up for my classes. WTF. Makes me wonder if this is why the line was so long. When I had to approve my certificate with the counseling office, I tried just stopping at the front desk there so I wouldn't need to call anyone (since I hate phone calls) and the people there told me to my face that I'd have to call to make an appointment. I literally had to walk out of the room and watch someone at the desk pick up the phone and make my appointment as I called them. Now I've just taken two semesters off due to having a baby and was looking to come back and take a night class this semester, but the online site wouldn't let me sign up, and wouldn't tell me why. Just "You do not have access to enrollment at this time." Didn't have any holds or anything. After digging through the Merritt website I found something saying that if I miss two semesters in a row I have to submit a new application, so I did so and it went through pretty quickly, but now I've got a New Student Hold on my account telling me I have to go through the whole assessment/orientation thing over again?! I tried calling the counseling office after my experience with them last time but now they just have an automated message telling people to drop by in person if they need to clear any holds. Ugh, make up your mind! I wish I could just take my classes without having to deal with all this nonsense. read more

Thanks budget cuts. I hate having a "limit" on education. The school is pretty nice because it's in the middle of nowhere and the view is superb! It gets it 4 stars. They do have decent teachers but supplies are so limited and lacking. Counselors are pretty nice and override classes without problem and easy to get into. read more

Merritt has made many changes and if you look at the dates of some of the reviews then you could see how far back they go. I've gotten some great teachers here plus I think It is in a great location for bus, BART! I've gotten my AA here and I've had so much support from teachers. read more

Awful experience, just awful. Inadequate instruction, the majority of teachers don't have time for students. No air conditioning in the summer and run-down classrooms. Not enough working lab equipment. Hard to get to by public transportation. The administration is dire - you have to follow up on everything about a million times. I had petitions I had to chase up about 12 times and a year later, they still hadn't been processed. The financial aid office is a joke. Worst of all is their nursing program. It is 100% dysfunctional. BEWARE! Feel free to email me for more info - I'd be happy to share! Also, search for "Merritt College" or "Peralta Colleges" on www.allnurses.com - loads of negative reviews come up. Save your time, money and lots and lots of heartache. It's not worth it - it's a numbers game and the majority will fail. It doesn't matter if you have a Master's degree, straight A's, have been an LVN for 15 years, are a doctor in another country - we had all these students and they failed!!!! BEWARE!!!!!! The only positive things I can think of about Merritt College? It's $20 a unit and the campus setting is gorgeous. I would recommend it for general education courses or prerequisites, I suppose, though I think Laney College is a lot more caring and has better instructors. The only people who ever helped me at Merritt were Leslie Scurry in Counseling, Waduda Karim in Allied Health and Ann Elliott in English. Everyone else should not be in education as they certainly do not show any signs of caring or wanting to see students succeed. read more

If there was a "0" star option, I'd definitely take it. Good: The campus is located in a very nice neighborhood and clean inside. I decided to go to the ADN program at Merritt despite all the negative reviews of the school. As other people have mentioned, the administration is dysfunction!! The office hours are not consistent, too. The ADN program is so bad. I know that near 70% of students dropped out from the program after one year. And now, I know the meaning of the number (70%). Now, I become a member of ADN program & I pass the first two exam with pretty good scores. Still, I want to drop out from the class because of those unprofessional professors. Unfortunately, I don't have any backup plan & I have pay near thousands of $$ on books & other material. I don't want to waste the $$$. On the first day of class, we were told to read 4 chapters from the book & download & read the material from module. Believe it or not, this was a 5-minute lecture & every this info was tested on the 1st exam. If we have questions, e-mail to the "instructor." (I personal don't respect her as an instructor) There are two instructor, too. Both of them are mean to students, but request students to respect them as "gods". Often time, if students ask questions in class, they'll become very impatient & say: "Don't challenge me!" They also embarrass students who ask questions often by saying: "You? again?!" Now, many active students become quiet in the class. But they do treat students, who consider them as gods, well. On the other hand, they are not really teaching. Their teaching is not based on the book, but from experience. When they make mistake, some students will argue with them. But they just said: "Go with your book." or "We are all human beings." If you make mistake, why you don't say you are wrong? Maybe those instructors are good nurses, but they are absolutely not good teachers. They keep saying the 100% passing rate on NCLEX, but they'll never mention that there were only 18 students graduated from the program. It's abnormal to have 70% of drop out rate. They should take actions to reconsider the program & try to it. If I haven't spent that much $$ on the program, I'm sure that I'll drop out & wait for another school. I'm now struggling because of these terrible teachers & read more

This is an awesome college the students and staff are outstanding. The instructors are very helpful and clear in their teaching styles. You have to be unmotivated, a snob and a pessimist in order to not achieve your educational goals at this campus. There's a lots of help for students if your serious about your accomplishments in life. The petty things like parking and technical help happens at every college or university campus. The important thing is a great education and peers that has integrity and commitment. The focus is obtaining a degree to further an education or to work in a fulfilling career. I feel like I was able to achieve those things at Merritt College and anyone else could also, if their serious enough. The administration is alright, they will give you the information that's needed. I think administrators have the most changes to deal with in their daily operations because of the district constantly changing requirements. You just have to research more information in order to stay up-to-date with your enrollment and access to classes. I still haven't found a perfect administration anywhere. Great departments I enjoyed while attending was the sociology department, science department, geography, psychology department and African American department. read more

What is with the staff in the cashier's office at Merritt College?!! I've had to go there twice, and each time was met with appalling rudeness and begrudging assistance. The Asian gal appears to come completely unglued and exasperated when asked ANYTHING, and will offer nothing but the bare minimum in her replies. When asking simple questions about parking passes, the way the refund system works or where I locate my student ID number, she became so irritated, her equally rude coworker with the curly hair and glasses came in and said, "I'll handle it. You don't have to put up with this." "Put up with this"?!! Both of these employees should seriously re-evaluate the roles they're paid to perform and if it's time for them to get out of customer service. They are not only part of the College's "front line," painting part of the first impression students have of Merritt College, but a necessity (and currently an unpleasant one) for the student body. With the sky-rocketing costs of education ($46 a unit) at Peralta Colleges, I will seek out other educational sources rather than be subjected to a hostile, unprofessional and largely unhelpful staff. Raise the bar or find other work you enjoy, ladies. Your attitudes and service are beyond bad. read more

Went to register today and the staff was so very helpful and friendly. They made the process so easy for this 40 something year old who is returning to school. read more

I give Merritt a 5 star, love this school, however the administration office never answers the phone. So terrible..maybe more staff is needed. I have to drive all the way there just to ask a question. Very sad. read more

Dont get kicked out of orientation...you will have to do it again regardless. Went to the consoler to sign up for classes a week later was told I had to do orientation again otherwise I couldn't get classes. I'm giving you my money to go to school and I want a education but it seems I have to waste my time with nonsense. read more

I enrolled in the CIS 51 class in May. I checked my schedule last week. Good to go. I went out and got my school supplies and organized my work schedule and now, the day before my class, I log in and see "you are not enrolled in any classes." WHAT?!? In a panic I call admissions. No answer. I call the district number. No answer. Finally I get in touch with the CIS division and they tell me the class was cancelled and I would be refunded in FOUR WEEKS! Oh, and call back if they forget to refund me my $200+. I'm very displeased!!!!!!!!!! read more

I have been attending Merritt College for 2 semesters now, currently doing my prerequisite courses before apply to a nursing program. I already have an undergraduate degree from Cal Poly, SLO. At Merritt I have taken; Chemistry-great professor, great lab Microbiology-great professor, great lab Anatomy/Physiology combo course-Excellent professor, good lab Gym-Excellent coaches, great ambiance and great equipment I have found all my professors to be passionate, caring and highly intelligent. They just installed solar panels over the parking lot which is great to shade our cars and of course great for solar power. For the location, the beauty and the price, this is an excellent college that I highly recommend!! (the 4 stars is for it's lack of updating) read more

Very good criminal justice program. A lot of the teachers are former law enforcement this helps give you an insite into what to expect when your trying to apply for agencys Mr. Smith is the best teacher in the program. read more

Quiet, clean, personal, location. This community college is probably my favorite out of the 4 Peralta schools. It's in a great location, there is plenty of parking and the staff is great. Not to mention it's not a hectic school, like Laney college near lake merritt! Once the renovations in the library are complete it will be a huge resource for students. read more

Let's just say I'm very frustrated at this moment , the reason being is because I have been trying to get my log in information, I've already submitted a form of correction about 1 months ago and haven't heard anything back. I've stopped the admissions office and they weren't no help. I keep calling to get an updated but it seems they never answer the phones , very disappointed. read more

The campus isn't huge which is good to get around, not so great in terms of class choices. Professors are good & passionate about what they teach (at least the science ones are). Parking is decent. You can always find a space. It may not be close, but you can find one. Leona Canyon is right behind campus, so if you want a break you can take a hike, literally. The view from campus of the Bay Area is quite nice on a clear/ slightly foggy day. Overall good campus. Be extra careful at night. The campus isn't well lit. Also, stay away from the cashiers office the first day of school otherwise you'll be waiting in line for over 30min. FYI, the cashiers office is where you buy your parking permit from. According to the sheriff they give a two week grace period for parking at the beginning of the semester. read more