Most Selective Colleges in Massachusetts
Ranked by acceptance rate (59 colleges with at least 500 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
| # | College | Acceptance rate | Net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit | 4% | $19,066 | $101,817 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit | 5% | $20,111 | $143,372 |
| 3 | Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 5% | $30,915 | $92,538 |
| 4 | Williams College Williamstown, MA · Private nonprofit | 8% | $17,716 | $88,665 |
| 5 | Amherst College Amherst, MA · Private nonprofit | 9% | $23,367 | $77,644 |
| 6 | Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 11% | $24,402 | $83,238 |
| 7 | Tufts University Medford, MA · Private nonprofit | 11% | $39,998 | $83,214 |
| 8 | Wellesley College Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit | 14% | $25,496 | $84,803 |
| 9 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA · Private nonprofit | 16% | $41,704 | $103,937 |
| 10 | Babson College Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit | 17% | $40,514 | $123,938 |
| 11 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit | 18% | $38,782 | $90,543 |
| 12 | Smith College Northampton, MA · Private nonprofit | 21% | $27,579 | $64,027 |
| 13 | Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA · Private nonprofit | 36% | $26,441 | $58,418 |
| 14 | Clark University Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit | 40% | $28,714 | $62,381 |
| 15 | Brandeis University Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit | 41% | $35,736 | $77,231 |
| 16 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 44% | $49,465 | $33,647 |
| 17 | Bentley University Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit | 45% | $37,930 | $120,959 |
| 18 | Laboure College of Healthcare Milton, MA · Private nonprofit | 50% | $36,863 | $62,200 |
| 19 | Anna Maria College Paxton, MA · Private nonprofit | 50% | $28,333 | $46,651 |
| 20 | Emerson College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 51% | $49,180 | $62,832 |
| 21 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA · Public | 60% | $22,383 | $71,631 |
| 22 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit | 60% | $43,071 | $103,470 |
| 23 | Hult International Business School Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit | 60% | $45,447 | — |
| 24 | Stonehill College Easton, MA · Private nonprofit | 66% | $33,016 | $77,745 |
| 25 | Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton, MA · Private nonprofit | 68% | $29,822 | $67,725 |
| 26 | Gordon College Wenham, MA · Private nonprofit | 69% | $24,883 | $52,119 |
| 27 | Regis College Weston, MA · Private nonprofit | 70% | $27,477 | $52,873 |
| 28 | Simmons University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 70% | $25,265 | $63,494 |
| 29 | Merrimack College North Andover, MA · Private nonprofit | 70% | $37,927 | $75,584 |
| 30 | Fisher College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 71% | $26,649 | $49,669 |
| 31 | Endicott College Beverly, MA · Private nonprofit | 71% | $40,654 | $58,336 |
| 32 | Springfield College Springfield, MA · Private nonprofit | 72% | $30,587 | $48,036 |
| 33 | Dean College Franklin, MA · Private nonprofit | 74% | $30,684 | $38,109 |
| 34 | Hampshire College Amherst, MA · Private nonprofit | 75% | $24,034 | $46,938 |
| 35 | Emmanuel College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 76% | $26,706 | $68,245 |
| 36 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA · Public | 76% | $24,100 | $43,582 |
| 37 | Nichols College Dudley, MA · Private nonprofit | 81% | $33,036 | $58,063 |
| 38 | Lasell University Newton, MA · Private nonprofit | 81% | $27,511 | $49,705 |
| 39 | Westfield State University Westfield, MA · Public | 81% | $16,721 | $57,346 |
| 40 | Suffolk University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 82% | $29,618 | $67,506 |
| 41 | Assumption University Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit | 83% | $29,498 | $74,895 |
| 42 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA · Public | 83% | $17,163 | $64,874 |
| 43 | Western New England University Springfield, MA · Private nonprofit | 83% | $27,290 | $73,157 |
| 44 | Framingham State University Framingham, MA · Public | 84% | $16,114 | $52,349 |
| 45 | University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston, MA · Public | 84% | $17,707 | $65,865 |
| 46 | Bay Path University Longmeadow, MA · Private nonprofit | 85% | $14,271 | $55,383 |
| 47 | Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 85% | $39,545 | $125,557 |
| 48 | College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee, MA · Private nonprofit | 85% | $17,545 | $51,540 |
| 49 | Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA · Public | 87% | $14,262 | $53,874 |
| 50 | Curry College Milton, MA · Private nonprofit | 88% | $29,207 | $54,400 |
| 51 | Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA · Public | 88% | $16,383 | $57,466 |
| 52 | Worcester State University Worcester, MA · Public | 88% | $13,381 | $60,624 |
| 53 | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, MA · Public | 90% | $16,068 | $48,102 |
| 54 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA · Public | 91% | $20,927 | $68,804 |
| 55 | Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | 91% | $34,170 | $82,721 |
| 56 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA · Public | 95% | $21,582 | $82,392 |
| 57 | Salem State University Salem, MA · Public | 96% | $15,996 | $56,662 |
| 58 | Lesley University Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit | 97% | $31,152 | $51,173 |
| 59 | American International College Springfield, MA · Private nonprofit | 100% | $23,274 | $53,124 |