State Rankings

Best Colleges in Massachusetts

Top colleges in Massachusetts ranked by national standing and graduate outcomes — updated 2026.

Colleges listed: 50

Avg grad earnings: $73,844

Public / Private: 13 / 37

Top Colleges in Massachusetts

Nationally ranked schools appear first. Remaining schools are ordered by median graduate earnings.

State #	School	Type	Grad Earnings	Admit Rate	SAT Avg	Grad Rate	Out-of-State
1	MIT Cambridge#2 national	Private	$143,372	4.7%	1,553	96.1%	$60,156
2	Williams College Williamstown#8 national	Private	$88,665	10.0%	1,527	96.5%	$64,860
3	Amherst College Amherst#15 national	Private	$77,644	9.8%	1,494	93.4%	$67,280
4	Northeastern University Boston#21 national	Private	$92,538	9.9%	1,505	90.4%	$63,141
5	Harvard University Cambridge#22 national	Private	$101,817	3.5%	1,553	97.3%	$59,076
6	Boston University Boston#34 national	Private	$83,238	10.8%	1,473	90.0%	$65,168
7	Boston College Chestnut Hill#42 national	Private	$103,937	15.7%	1,501	91.0%	$67,680
8	College of the Holy Cross Worcester#44 national	Private	$90,543	21.1%	1,354	89.6%	$60,850
9	Wellesley College Wellesley#49 national	Private	$84,803	13.9%	1,513	91.2%	$64,320
10	Tufts University Medford#53 national	Private	$83,214	10.1%	1,513	93.3%	$67,844
11	Babson College Wellesley#63 national	Private	$123,938	19.7%	1,435	92.4%	$56,032
12	Smith College Northampton#82 national	Private	$64,027	19.7%	1,480	89.7%	$61,568
13	Bentley University Waltham#84 national	Private	$120,959	48.4%	1,340	88.2%	$58,150
14	Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester#105 national	Private	$103,470	58.5%	N/A	88.4%	$59,070
15	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst#124 national	Public	$71,631	57.8%	1,393	83.2%	$39,293
16	Brandeis University Waltham#148 national	Private	$77,231	35.3%	1,473	86.1%	$64,946
17	Stonehill College Easton#164 national	Private	$77,745	72.6%	N/A	80.8%	$54,500
18	Mount Holyoke College South Hadley#208 national	Private	$58,418	38.3%	1,422	85.0%	$64,142
19	Emerson College Boston#211 national	Private	$62,832	47.5%	1,359	79.3%	$55,392
20	Clark University Worcester#232 national	Private	$62,381	41.7%	1,339	77.1%	$55,160
21	Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton#244 national	Private	$67,725	71.3%	1,321	75.7%	$62,080
22	Merrimack College North Andover#255 national	Private	$75,584	73.6%	N/A	72.1%	$51,786
23	Assumption University Worcester#282 national	Private	$74,895	86.5%	N/A	74.6%	$49,414
24	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell#284 national	Public	$64,874	85.2%	1,253	70.1%	$35,396
25	Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay#293 national	Public	$82,392	94.5%	N/A	79.1%	$23,910
26	Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston#300 national	Private	$82,721	85.4%	1,226	68.6%	$41,010
27	Simmons University Boston#305 national	Private	$63,494	66.0%	1,332	71.3%	$45,538
28	MCPHS University Boston#307 national	Private	$125,557	85.2%	1,216	63.3%	$38,850
29	Endicott College Beverly#338 national	Private	$58,336	72.3%	1,263	75.4%	$39,212
30	Emmanuel College Boston#409 national	Private	$68,245	80.6%	1,263	65.8%	$46,686
31	Western New England University Springfield#460 national	Private	$73,157	83.3%	1,231	63.9%	$46,430
32	Laboure College of Healthcare Milton#488 national	Private	$62,200	40.5%	N/A	N/A	$33,663
33	Gordon College Wenham#514 national	Private	$52,119	58.8%	1,268	67.6%	$28,100
34	Suffolk University Boston#549 national	Private	$67,506	84.7%	1,197	59.9%	$45,380
35	Hult International Business School Cambridge#574 national	Private	N/A	53.3%	N/A	65.8%	$54,890
36	Worcester State University Worcester#615 national	Public	$60,624	89.9%	1,145	55.5%	$17,366
37	University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston#626 national	Public	$65,865	83.0%	1,188	51.1%	$37,174
38	Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills#670 national	Public	$52,654	N/A	N/A	N/A	$10,560
39	Bay Path University Longmeadow#671 national	Private	$55,383	73.5%	N/A	56.9%	$37,227
40	Regis College Weston#674 national	Private	$52,873	89.3%	N/A	69.5%	$47,770
41	Middlesex Community College Bedford#687 national	Public	$50,651	N/A	N/A	N/A	$12,120
42	Springfield College Springfield#688 national	Private	$48,036	70.2%	1,120	67.6%	$43,707
43	Bridgewater State University Bridgewater#745 national	Public	$57,466	89.2%	1,127	54.6%	$17,529
44	Nichols College Dudley#768 national	Private	$58,063	88.1%	1,110	63.6%	$40,375
45	Bunker Hill Community College Boston#781 national	Public	$47,618	N/A	N/A	N/A	$10,464
46	Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston#784 national	Public	$43,582	77.5%	N/A	69.2%	$42,180
47	Westfield State University Westfield#843 national	Public	$57,346	80.7%	N/A	54.9%	$17,962
48	College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee#879 national	Private	$51,540	87.7%	1,240	64.7%	$42,061
49	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth#884 national	Public	$68,804	92.2%	1,152	49.0%	$31,750
50	Salem State University Salem#917 national	Public	$56,662	95.6%	1,090	55.0%	$18,961

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Excludes for-profit institutions.

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