A Complete Guide to Colleges in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is home to dream schools and historic institutions. Here's a list of all colleges in Massachusetts, including the most popular ones.
by

Updated January 3, 2024 · 4 Min Read

check mark Edited by

TheBestSchools.org is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

Are you ready to discover your college program?

10 Popular Colleges in Massachusetts

We put together a list of all four-year nonprofit schools in Massachusetts.

Before we get to that, though, here are some of the most well-known Massachusetts colleges based on factors such as prestige, selectivity, and enrollment size.

All school data below comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Tuition and fees are from 2022-2023, while acceptance rates, enrollment statistics, net prices, and number of applicants are from 2021.

List of All Massachusetts Colleges and Universities

The table below lists all four-year nonprofit colleges in Massachusetts, showing each school's average net cost, acceptance rate, enrollment size, and number of applicants.

All Colleges in Massachusetts
School Total Student Enrollment Avg. Annual Net Price Acceptance Rate Number of Applicants
American International College 2,244 $20,958 58% 3,494
Amherst College 1,971 $18,809 9% 13,999
Anna Maria College 1,521 $24,614 73% 2,519
Assumption University 2,284 $26,513 86% 4,018
Babson College 3,684 $29,105 25% 7,104
Bard College at Simon's Rock 328 $37,869 80% 216
Bay Path University 2,745 $18,664 75% 797
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology 476 $18,143 N/A N/A
Bentley University 5,158 $41,708 61% 9,311
Berklee College of Music 7,943 $48,055 55% 7,266
Boston Architectural College 728 $27,887 N/A N/A
Boston Baptist College 42 $23,223 64% 11
Boston College 15,577 $30,159 19% 39,846
Boston University 36,104 $25,852 19% 75,778
Brandeis University 5,558 $35,147 39% 9,796
Bridgewater State University 9,942 $12,744 86% 8,881
Cambridge College 2,451 $27,166 N/A N/A
Clark University 3,350 $31,565 48% 8,151
College of Our Lady of the Elms 1,379 $22,889 68% 1,565
College of the Holy Cross 3,029 $29,198 43% 6,498
Curry College 2,242 $28,782 80% 2,242
Dean College 1,206 $35,827 74% 4,924
Eastern Nazarene College 647 $19,901 64% 849
Emerson College 5,900 $48,842 45% 11,568
Emmanuel College 1,950 $28,133 74% 6,072
Endicott College 3,982 $38,196 77% 5,055
Fisher College 1,367 $26,130 72% 2,897
Fitchburg State University 6,674 $16,862 85% 3,414
Framingham State University 4,495 $16,900 84% 5,117
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering 382 $36,494 18% 907
Gordon College 1,804 $25,917 77% 1,462
Hampshire College 472 $30,168 75% 1,340
Harvard University 31,345 $13,910 4% 57,786
Hebrew College 133 NA N/A N/A
Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology 118 $26,548 76% 74
Hult International Business School 2,214 $48,780 51% 1,495
Laboure College of Healthcare 1,038 $33,180 75% 4
Lasell University 1,695 $29,401 85% 2,550
Lesley University 4,010 $31,928 87% 2,942
Massachusetts College of Art and Design 1,907 $24,772 79% 2,433
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 994 $14,902 91% 1,371
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 11,934 $30,958 4% 33,240
Massachusetts Maritime Academy 1,538 $19,412 90% 1,079
MCPHS University 7,304 $38,390 98% 4,846
Merrimack College 5,452 $35,500 80% 10,429
MGH Institute of Health Professions 1,339 NA N/A N/A
Montserrat College of Art 341 $33,430 N/A N/A
Mount Holyoke College 2,342 $29,218 52% 3,971
New England College of Optometry 525 NA N/A N/A
Nichols College 1,434 $28,184 N/A N/A
Northeastern University 28,167 $38,927 18% 75,244
Northeastern University Professional Programs 10,918 NA N/A N/A
Northpoint Bible College 250 $24,502 N/A N/A
Regis College 3,599 $35,775 89% 2,678
Saint John's Seminary 96 NA N/A N/A
Salem State University 7,131 $18,125 90% 6,287
Simmons University 5,984 $19,026 84% 3,516
Smith College 2,924 $29,569 30% 6,064
Springfield College 2,965 $28,296 77% 2,853
Springfield College-Regional, Online, and Continuing Education 529 NA N/A N/A
Stonehill College 2,479 $31,467 72% 7,219
Suffolk University 6,647 $32,393 88% 7,501
The New England Conservatory of Music 827 $38,409 43% 952
Tufts University 13,293 $31,630 11% 31,198
University of Massachusetts Amherst 32,045 $17,291 66% 42,540
University of Massachusetts Boston 15,637 $17,575 79% 16,383
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 7,717 $21,708 92% 7,983
University of Massachusetts Lowell 17,597 $13,227 85% 12,493
Wellesley College 2,461 $21,862 16% 7,663
Wentworth Institute of Technology 4,163 $32,430 90% 5,441
Western New England University 3,635 $30,403 90% 6,385
Westfield State University 5,013 $19,194 23% 3,629
Wheaton College 1,701 $28,867 82% 3,724
William James College 854 NA N/A N/A
Williams College 2,224 $14,487 9% 12,452
Worcester Polytechnic Institute 7,230 $48,230 60% 11,092
Worcester State University 5,417 $12,853 89% 3,446

Source: NCES

Frequently Asked Questions About Colleges in Massachusetts

What are the top three colleges in Massachusetts?

Harvard and MIT are usually the two highest-ranked colleges in Massachusetts and among the top five universities in the U.S. Other Massachusetts colleges — such as Boston University, Tufts University, and Boston College — often rank highly as well.

What is the biggest college in Massachusetts?

Boston University is the biggest college in Massachusetts, according to NCES. Over 36,000 students were enrolled at BU in fall 2021. Harvard was the second-largest college in the state, with over 31,000 students in 2021.

What are the easiest colleges to get into in Massachusetts?

Westfield State University is one of the easiest four-year colleges to get into in Massachusetts, with an acceptance rate of 94% in fall 2021, according to NCES.

Other schools in Massachusetts with acceptance rates of 90% or more include the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (92%), Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (91%), and Massachusetts Maritime Academy (90%).

Explore More Colleges by State

Highly informative resources to keep your education journey on track.

Take the next step toward your future with online learning.

Discover schools with the programs and courses you’re interested in, and start learning today.

woman in an office