Small colleges in Massachusetts are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
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 following list of the best small colleges and universities in Massachusetts is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 35 small colleges in Massachusetts. The list below of the 25 best small colleges in Massachusetts. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
12%
Graduation
95%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
Amherst College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
15%
Graduation
96%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1480/33
Williams College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
94%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1445/32
Wellesley College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
37%
Graduation
87%
Student body
3K
Smith College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
47%
Graduation
75%
Student body
4K
Clark University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
38%
Graduation
93%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1345/30
College of the Holy Cross’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
52%
Graduation
84%
Student body
2K
Mount Holyoke College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
66%
Student body
<1K
Hampshire College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
90%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1320/29
Bentley University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
82%
Student body
3K
Stonehill College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$64K
Acceptance
94%
Graduation
62%
Student body
<1K
Bard College at Simon's Rock’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
64%
Student body
3K
Western New England University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$16K
Graduation
20%
Student body
2K
Cambridge College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
60%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/23
Lesley University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
73%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1120/23
Springfield College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
72%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/25
Gordon College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
78%
Student body
2K
Wheaton College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
50%
Student body
1K
Anna Maria College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
79%
Student body
5K
Endicott College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
34%
Graduation
18%
Student body
<1K
Bay State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
52%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1007/19
Dean College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
44%
Student body
2K
American International College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
39%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/20
Becker College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
38%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
995/20
Eastern Nazarene College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
61%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1045/22
Framingham State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
