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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

18 Ranked Colleges
913 Degrees Awarded
$17,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor's in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts / sciences and humanities is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 3,758 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,110 and $17,045 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 913 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,887 and $24,387 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

#1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for MIT is $4,535 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at MIT

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $2,973 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Harvard University

#3

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #3 spot on the list. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 95 students in 2019-2020.

UMass Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Amherst is $13,137 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#4

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Westfield State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Westfield is a medium-sized public school situated in Westfield, Massachusetts. It awarded 156 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Westfield, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $12,672 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Westfield State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Westfield Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts - Lowell landed the #5 spot on the list. UMass Lowell is a fairly large public school situated in Lowell, Massachusetts. It awarded 105 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Lowell, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Lowell is $11,560 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Massachusetts - Lowell

#6

Bentley University

Waltham, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Bentley University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 126 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bentley has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bentley University is $25,432 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Bentley

#7

Framingham State University

Framingham, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

Framingham State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Framingham, Massachusetts, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Framingham State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Framingham State University is $14,612 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Framingham State University

#8

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

North Dartmouth, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Dartmouth, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMass Dartmouth has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $13,925 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at UMass Dartmouth

#9

Bay Path University

Longmeadow, Massachusetts
#13 in overall quality

Bay Path University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bay Path is located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bay Path has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bay Path is $19,522 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Bay Path University

#10

Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Salem State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Salem, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Salem State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Salem State is $14,593 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Salem State

#11

Springfield College

Springfield, Massachusetts
#12 in overall quality

Springfield College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Springfield, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

Springfield College also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Springfield College is $19,586 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Springfield College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#12

Eastern Nazarene College

Quincy, Massachusetts
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Eastern Nazarene College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Eastern Nazarene College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Quincy, Massachusetts. It awarded 14 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

ENC also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $16,616 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ENC.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Eastern Nazarene College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#13

Endicott College

Beverly, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

Endicott College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Endicott is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Endicott not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Endicott College is $27,432 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Endicott

#14

American International College

Springfield, Massachusetts
#10 in overall quality

American International College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. American International College is a small school located in Springfield, Massachusetts that handed out 13 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

AIC also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for American International College is $22,785 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at AIC

#15

Curry College

Milton, Massachusetts
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Curry College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Curry College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Milton, Massachusetts. It awarded 2 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Curry did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $23,906 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Curry College.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Curry

#16

Lesley University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#9 in overall quality

Lesley University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 75 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Lesley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $29,108 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lesley University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Lesley

#17

Regis College

Weston, Massachusetts
#14 in overall quality

Regis College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Regis College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Weston, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Regis College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Regis College is $23,281 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Regis College

#18

Dean College

Franklin, Massachusetts
#18 in overall quality

Dean College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Dean College is a small school located in Franklin, Massachusetts that handed out 5 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, Dean College has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $26,852 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dean College.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Dean College

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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