by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Education is the 31st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across Massachusetts, there were 1,285 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 242 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,029 and $25,475 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer a degree in general education. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their general education program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The general education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hampshire College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a small school located in North Adams, Massachusetts that handed out 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Smith College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Smith is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northampton, Massachusetts. It awarded 20 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Springfield College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Endicott College landed the #5 spot on the list. Endicott is a private not-for-profit institution located in Beverly, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, Stonehill College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. This small school is located in Easton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Wellesley College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Bay Path University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. This small school is located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Salem State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Salem State University is a public institution located in Salem, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Education at Salem State University
Merrimack College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #10. Merrimack College is located in North Andover, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Brandeis University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Brandeis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Waltham, Massachusetts. It awarded 20 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Elms College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Elms College is a small school located in Chicopee, Massachusetts that handed out 4 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Emmanuel College Massachusetts came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Emmanuel Boston is a small school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 4 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Regis College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Weston, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Fitchburg State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Fitchburg State University
University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this large public school handed out 35 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Tufts University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Tufts University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 6 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Boston University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Boston College ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Harvard University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 591 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Gordon College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Wenham, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Simmons University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lesley University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Curry College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Milton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
