Best Small Colleges in Massachusetts 2023

BEST IN MASSACHUSETTS SMALL COLLEGES
By James Barham
Published:
Updated:

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.

10 Best Small Colleges in Massachusetts 2022

Sort by:
  1. Amherst College
  2. Williams College
  3. Smith College
  4. Wellesley College
  5. Clark University
  6. Mount Holyoke College
  7. College of the Holy Cross
  8. Hampshire College
  9. Wheaton College
  10. Bentley University
  1. Western New England University 90%
  2. Lesley University 87%
  3. Framingham State University 84%
  4. Becker College 83%
  5. Wheaton College 82%
  6. Bard College at Simon's Rock 80%
  7. Endicott College 77%
  8. Springfield College 77%
  9. Gordon College 77%
  10. Hampshire College 75%
  1. American International College 18 to 1
  2. Dean College 16 to 1
  3. Framingham State University 13 to 1
  4. Endicott College 13 to 1
  5. Anna Maria College 12 to 1
  6. Springfield College 12 to 1
  7. Becker College 12 to 1
  8. Hampshire College 12 to 1
  9. Western New England University 12 to 1
  10. Bentley University 11 to 1
  1. Bard College at Simon's Rock $63,583
  2. Amherst College $61,150
  3. Wellesley College $60,752
  4. Williams College $59,660
  5. Wheaton College $58,180
  6. College of the Holy Cross $56,540
  7. Mount Holyoke College $56,518
  8. Smith College $56,114
  9. Bentley University $54,910
  10. Hampshire College $52,738
  1. Williams College $59,728
  2. Smith College $55,830
  3. Clark University $47,650
  4. Bentley University $42,200
  5. Springfield College $33,150
  6. Stonehill College $31,867
  7. Western New England University $26,640
  8. Mount Holyoke College $25,833
  9. Lesley University $18,900
  10. Cambridge College $16,409
  1. Bay State College
  2. Anna Maria College
  3. Endicott College
  4. American International College
  5. Gordon College
  6. Eastern Nazarene College
  7. Dean College
  8. Becker College
  9. Cambridge College
  10. Western New England University
  1. Amherst College 9%
  2. Williams College 9%
  3. Wellesley College 16%
  4. Smith College 30%
  5. College of the Holy Cross 43%
  6. Clark University 48%
  7. Bay State College 50%
  8. Mount Holyoke College 52%
  9. American International College 58%
  10. Bentley University 61%
  1. Williams College 6 to 1
  2. Bard College at Simon's Rock 6 to 1
  3. Amherst College 7 to 1
  4. Smith College 7 to 1
  5. Wellesley College 7 to 1
  6. Lesley University 9 to 1
  7. Mount Holyoke College 9 to 1
  8. Clark University 9 to 1
  9. Gordon College 10 to 1
  10. Eastern Nazarene College 10 to 1
  1. Framingham State University $970
  2. Cambridge College $16,442
  3. Gordon College $26,250
  4. Eastern Nazarene College $27,212
  5. Bay State College $29,500
  6. Lesley University $29,550
  7. Endicott College $36,614
  8. American International College $39,370
  9. Anna Maria College $40,208
  10. Western New England University $40,380
  1. Framingham State University $1,680
  2. Gordon College $6,300
  3. Eastern Nazarene College $10,305
  4. Anna Maria College $10,530
  5. American International College $12,657
  6. Endicott College $12,746
  7. Cambridge College $16,409
  8. Lesley University $18,900
  9. Mount Holyoke College $25,833
  10. Western New England University $26,640

Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts

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.


What are Massachusetts’ Colleges & Universities?

Massachusetts’ Best Overall

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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.

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Best Small Colleges in Massachusetts 2022

  1. #1

    Amherst College

    Amherst , MA
    #4 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #6 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2023 #20 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2023 #21 50 Best Colleges and Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2023
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $61K

    Acceptance

    9%

    Graduation

    92%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1495/33

    What is Amherst College known for?

    Amherst College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  2. #2

    Williams College

    Williamstown , MA
    #5 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #7 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2023 #23 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2023 #24 50 Best Colleges and Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2023
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $60K

    Acceptance

    9%

    Graduation

    94%

    Student body

    2K

    What is Williams College known for?

    Williams College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  3. #3

    Wellesley College

    Wellesley , MA
    #8 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #9 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2023 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts 2023 #10 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts 2023
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $61K

    Acceptance

    16%

    Graduation

    92%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1435/32

    What is Wellesley College known for?

    Wellesley College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  11. #10

    Stonehill College

    Easton , MA
    #3 Best Christian Colleges in Massachusetts 2023

    Tuition + fees

    $48K

    Acceptance

    72%

    Graduation

    85%

    Student body

    2K

    What is Stonehill College known for?

    Stonehill College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  13. #11

    Bard College at Simon's Rock

    Great Barrington , MA

    Tuition + fees

    $64K

    Acceptance

    80%

    Graduation

    70%

    Student body

    <1K

    What is Bard College at Simon's Rock known for?

    Bard College at Simon's Rock’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  14. #12

    Western New England University

    Springfield , MA

    Tuition + fees

    $40K

    Acceptance

    90%

    Graduation

    63%

    Student body

    3K

    What is Western New England University known for?

    Western New England University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  16. #14

    Lesley University

    Cambridge , MA
    #12 Best Online Master's Programs in Massachusetts 2023 #13 Best Online Colleges in Massachusetts 2023 #24 Best Online Bachelor's in Psychology Degree Programs for Students

    Tuition + fees

    $30K

    Acceptance

    87%

    Graduation

    60%

    Student body

    3K

    What is Lesley University known for?

    Lesley University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Lesley University’s Online Degrees

    BA in Liberal Studies
    Degree Concentrations
    • Business Management
    • Marketing Or Nonprofit Management
    • Human Services
    • Marketing Or Nonprofit Management
    • Human Services
    • Development Psychology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in User Experience
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Human Services
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Interdisciplinary Humanities
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  17. #15

    Springfield College

    Springfield , MA

    Tuition + fees

    $40K

    Acceptance

    77%

    Graduation

    73%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1250/24

    What is Springfield College known for?

    Springfield College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  19. #16

    Gordon College

    Wenham , MA
    #4 Best Christian Colleges in Massachusetts 2023 #6 Best Online Colleges in Massachusetts 2023 #16 Best Online Master's Programs in Massachusetts 2023

    Tuition + fees

    $26K

    Acceptance

    77%

    Graduation

    72%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1150/24

    What is Gordon College known for?

    Gordon College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Gordon College ’s Online Degrees

    BA in Accounting
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Business Administration
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Finance
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  20. #17

    Wheaton College

    Norton , MA

    Tuition + fees

    $58K

    Acceptance

    82%

    Graduation

    73%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1265/29

    What is Wheaton College known for?

    Wheaton College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  21. #18

    Anna Maria College

    Paxton , MA
    #5 Best Christian Colleges in Massachusetts 2023 #24 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Criminal Justice Degrees #11 Best Online Master’s in Emergency Management #18 Best Online Colleges in Massachusetts 2023
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $40K

    Acceptance

    73%

    Graduation

    48%

    Student body

    1K

    What is Anna Maria College known for?

    Anna Maria College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Anna Maria College’s Online Degrees

    BS in Fire Science
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  23. #20

    Bay State College

    Boston , MA
    #3 Best Online Bachelor's of Cybersecurity Degree Programs in Massachusetts #9 Best Online Bachelor's in Music Degree Programs Ranked for 2023

    Tuition + fees

    $30K

    Acceptance

    50%

    Graduation

    17%

    Student body

    <1K

    What is Bay State College known for?

    Bay State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Bay State College’s Online Degrees

    BS in Fashion Merchandising
    Degree Concentrations
    • Fashion Design
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Entertainment Management
    Degree Concentrations
    • Music Industry
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Management
    Degree Concentrations
    • Cloud Security Risk Management
    • Finance
    • Healthcare Management
    • Human Resource Management
    • Digital Marketing
    • Healthcare Management
    • Cloud Security Risk Management
    • Finance
    • Human Resource Management
    • Finance
    • Cloud Security Risk Management
    • Healthcare Management
    • Marketing/Digital Marketing
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Information Technology
    Degree Concentrations
    • Business Analytics
    • Web And Mobile Development
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Criminal Justice
    Degree Concentrations
    • Cloud Security Risk Management
    • Digital Forensics And Cybersecurity
    • Domestic And International Security
    • Cloud Security Risk Management
    • Domestic And International Security
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  25. #21

    Dean College

    Franklin , MA

    Tuition + fees

    $42K

    Acceptance

    74%

    Graduation

    49%

    Student body

    1K

    What is Dean College known for?

    Dean College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  26. #22

    American International College

    Springfield , MA
    #6 Best Online MBA Programs in Massachusetts #12 Best Online Colleges in Massachusetts 2023 #20 Best Online Master's Programs in Massachusetts 2023

    Tuition + fees

    $39K

    Acceptance

    58%

    Graduation

    42%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    995/25

    What is American International College known for?

    American International College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    American International College’s Online Degrees

    BSN in Nursing: RN to BSN
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  27. #23

    Becker College

    Worcester , MA

    Acceptance

    83%

    Graduation

    45%

    Median SAT/ACT

    1070/25

    What is Becker College known for?

    Most Influential Alumni

    Becker College’s Online Degrees

    BS in Business Administration
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: None Reported
    BS in Legal Studies
    • Required Credits: 93
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: None Reported
    BS in Criminal Justice
    • Required Credits: 121
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: None Reported
    Compare school
  28. #24

    Eastern Nazarene College

    Quincy , MA
    #7 Best Christian Colleges in Massachusetts 2023

    Tuition + fees

    $27K

    Acceptance

    64%

    Graduation

    57%

    Student body

    <1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1026/20

    What is Eastern Nazarene College known for?

    Eastern Nazarene College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  29. #25

    Framingham State University

    Framingham , MA
    #10 Best Public Colleges in Massachusetts 2023

    Tuition + fees

    $11K

    Acceptance

    84%

    Graduation

    51%

    Student body

    5K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1040/22

    What is Framingham State University known for?

    Framingham State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
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Find Massachusetts’ best small college for your area of interest

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2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized 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.

  1. Amherst College
  2. Hampshire College
  3. Wellesley College
  4. Williams College
  5. Smith College
  6. Mount Holyoke College
  7. Clark University
  8. Emerson College
  9. College of the Holy Cross
  10. Stonehill College
  11. Wheaton College
  12. Lesley University
  13. Bentley University
  14. Gordon College
  15. Massachusetts Maritime Academy
  16. Springfield College
  17. Western New England University
  18. Emmanuel College
  19. Wentworth Institute of Technology
  20. Merrimack College
  21. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  22. Endicott College
  23. Elms College
  24. Bay Path University
  25. Assumption University
  26. Lasell University
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