Interested in attending a STEM school in Massachusetts? Our ranking of top research universities for bachelor’s degrees displays schools that will best prepare you for STEM careers.
Some of the most talked about universities in Massachusetts are its private schools, including Boston University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which also happen to be the largest. Tuition for these prestigious schools runs between $50,000 and $54,000. Students here have access to some of the top programs in the country in fields such as biology, literature, law, education, engineering, and religious studies. The alumni from New England schools are equally as impressive, including Martin Luther King Jr., Bill Gates, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
The public higher education institutes also boast top-notch programs, allowing students to pursue associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in fields like mathematics, social work, medicine, and economics. The University of Massachusetts Amherst, the state’s largest public university, offers tuition around $16,000 and serves over 28,000 students. Additionally, students who are interested in attending a religiously affiliated school have 17 options to choose from, most of which feature high graduation rates for their students. For future dental, medical, or mental health professionals, Massachusetts also offers loan forgiveness programs for those working in underserved communities.
As the port of destination for the Mayflower, home to the Plymouth colony, and site of the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts looms large in United States history, but this most populous New England state isn’t just for history buffs. The Bay State is also known for its delicious cuisine, beautiful coastlines, and devout sports fans. Not to mention, it has over 100 colleges for students to choose from.
Find a program that’s right for you and explore the best schools Massachusetts has to offer.
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Concentrated Influence”. Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
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.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
A research university is a great option for students interested in obtaining STEM degrees. Research universities invest heavily in research, which consequently provides meaningful and extensive opportunities for its students and faculty to participate in research. There are 16 research universities in Massachusetts, 14 of which satisfy our criteria. The list below of the best research universities in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
5%
Graduation
98%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
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Harvard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
96%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1540/35
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
33%
Graduation
89%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1435/31
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Brandeis University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
16%
Graduation
94%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1465/33
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Tufts University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
89%
Student body
32K
Median SAT/ACT
1425/32
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Boston University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
47%
Graduation
75%
Student body
4K
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Clark University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
26%
Graduation
92%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/32
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Boston College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
83%
Student body
29K
Median SAT/ACT
1290/29
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University of Massachusetts Amherst’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
90%
Student body
23K
Median SAT/ACT
1465/33
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Northeastern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
79%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/26
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Simmons University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
89%
Student body
7K
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
60%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/23
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Lesley University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
69%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1235/26
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University of Massachusetts Lowell’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
64%
Student body
3K
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Western New England University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
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