Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts 2025

Q: Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Badge for BEST IN MASSACHUSETTS LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Jenn Finley

Published: Mar 25, 2021
Updated: Aug 27, 2024

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts

Amherst College
Williams College
Smith College
Wellesley College
Mount Holyoke College
College of the Holy Cross
Hampshire College
Suffolk University
Emerson College
Wheaton College

Amherst College
Williams College
Smith College
Wellesley College
Mount Holyoke College
College of the Holy Cross
Hampshire College
Suffolk University
Emerson College
Wheaton College

Bard College at Simon's Rock 95%
Salem State University 93%
Wentworth Institute of Technology 92%
Gordon College 92%
Bridgewater State University 88%
Suffolk University 87%
Fitchburg State University 86%
Westfield State University 82%
Wheaton College 79%
Springfield College 76%

Bridgewater State University 17 to 1
Wentworth Institute of Technology 17 to 1
Emerson College 15 to 1
Gordon College 14 to 1
Westfield State University 14 to 1
Suffolk University 13 to 1
Merrimack College 13 to 1
Bentley University 12 to 1
Endicott College 12 to 1
Fitchburg State University 12 to 1

Bard College at Simon's Rock $64,951
Amherst College $64,100
Wellesley College $61,920
Williams College $61,770
Wheaton College $60,230
Smith College $58,768
Mount Holyoke College $58,498
College of the Holy Cross $58,360
Bentley University $56,500
Hampshire College $54,452

Williams College $61,775
Smith College $58,480
Bentley University $43,440
Wentworth Institute of Technology $40,285
Suffolk University $39,622
Springfield College $34,140
Merrimack College $32,896
Emerson College $32,376
Stonehill College $31,867
Mount Holyoke College $27,268

Bay State College
Anna Maria College
Endicott College
Fitchburg State University
Gordon College
Cambridge College
Westfield State University
Merrimack College
Bridgewater State University
Bard College at Simon's Rock

Bay State College
Anna Maria College
Endicott College
Fitchburg State University
Gordon College
Cambridge College
Bridgewater State University
Bard College at Simon's Rock
Merrimack College
Westfield State University

Amherst College 7%
Williams College 8%
Wellesley College 14%
Smith College 23%
College of the Holy Cross 36%
Mount Holyoke College 40%
Emerson College 43%
Bay State College 48%
Bentley University 58%
Hampshire College 69%

Bard College at Simon's Rock 6 to 1
Williams College 6 to 1
Wellesley College 7 to 1
Amherst College 7 to 1
Smith College 8 to 1
Cambridge College 8 to 1
Mount Holyoke College 9 to 1
Bay State College 9 to 1
College of the Holy Cross 10 to 1
Hampshire College 11 to 1

Bridgewater State University $910
Salem State University $910
Fitchburg State University $970
Westfield State University $970
Cambridge College $17,190
Gordon College $27,040
Bay State College $29,500
Endicott College $37,776
Wentworth Institute of Technology $38,760
Anna Maria College $41,010

Bridgewater State University $1,260
Westfield State University $1,775
Salem State University $2,520
Fitchburg State University $3,510
Gordon College $6,490
Anna Maria College $10,530
Endicott College $13,084
Cambridge College $16,923
Mount Holyoke College $27,268
Stonehill College $31,867

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or last ground for the 2025 school year.

For our 2025 ranking of the best liberal arts colleges in Massachusetts, there were a few changes to note. Several of the schools in the top 10 list simply swapped positions, like Wellesley College and Smith College, who swapped the number 3 and number 4 positions. However, Wheaton College jumped an impressive 11 spots to move into the top 10 for this year, while Bentley University dropped 2 positions to slip out of the top 10, and into the number 12 spot.

Table of Contents

How do we determine Massachusetts' best liberal arts colleges?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified 41 liberal arts universities in Massachusetts. To be ranked among the 25 best liberal arts colleges in Massachusetts, schools must fully accredited institutions.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts

Find the Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts for Your Area of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines.

Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students.

Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).

Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers.

Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available.

Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online.

Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands.

Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.

Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving.

If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.

The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors.

Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Check out our directory of liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top liberal arts schools in every state.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts 2025

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts

2025 Ranking Update

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts

Career Outlook for degree at Amherst College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Williams College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Smith College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Wellesley College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Mount Holyoke College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at College of the Holy Cross

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Hampshire College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Suffolk University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Emerson College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Wheaton College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Springfield College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Bentley University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Salem State University

Salem State University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Stonehill College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Wentworth Institute of Technology

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Bard College at Simon's Rock

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Bridgewater State University

Most Influential Alumni

Bridgewater State University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Merrimack College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Westfield State University

Most Influential Alumni

Westfield State University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Cambridge College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Gordon College

Most Influential Alumni

Gordon College ’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Fitchburg State University

Most Influential Alumni

Fitchburg State University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Endicott College

Career Outlook for degree at Anna Maria College

Most Influential Alumni

Anna Maria College’s Online Degrees

Bay State College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Find the Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts for Your Area of Interest