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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Massachusetts (With Aid)

18 Ranked Colleges
913 Degrees Awarded
$24,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor's in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts / sciences and humanities students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. 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.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools

The liberal arts / sciences & humanities 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 “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Massachusetts (With Aid)

#1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIT, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MIT is $16,636 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 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 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

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 Getting Aid. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 34 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $15,386 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Harvard University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#3

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts
#4 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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Westfield State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Westfield State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Westfield, Massachusetts. It awarded 156 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Westfield did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $19,167 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend Westfield.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Full Westfield State University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Massachusetts - Lowell. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. UMass Lowell is located in Lowell, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 105 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

UMass Lowell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Massachusetts - Lowell is $19,119 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at UMass Lowell

#5

Framingham State University

Framingham, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Framingham State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Framingham State is a public institution located in Framingham, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, Framingham State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $20,001 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend Framingham State.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Framingham State University

#6

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#5 in overall quality

University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMass Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 95 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Amherst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $22,501 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#7

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

North Dartmouth, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school handed out 25 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

UMass Dartmouth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend UMass Dartmouth is $18,503 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

#8

American International College

Springfield, Massachusetts
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, American International College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. 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 13 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, AIC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend AIC is $25,044 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

Full American International College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#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 Getting Aid ranking. Bay Path University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. It awarded 43 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bay Path, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bay Path is $22,211 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Bay Path University

#10

Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts
#17 in overall quality

Salem State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Salem State is located in Salem, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Salem State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Salem State University is $18,399 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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

#11

Eastern Nazarene College

Quincy, Massachusetts
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Eastern Nazarene College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. ENC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Quincy, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ENC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $20,751 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend Eastern Nazarene College.

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.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Eastern Nazarene College

#12

Bentley University

Waltham, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Bentley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Bentley is a medium-sized school located in Waltham, Massachusetts that handed out 126 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Bentley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bentley is $38,986 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

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 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

#13

Springfield College

Springfield, Massachusetts
#12 in overall quality

Springfield College landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Springfield College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $30,134 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend Springfield College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Springfield College

#14

Lesley University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#9 in overall quality

Lesley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 75 diplomas 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 with aid list, Lesley has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lesley University is $33,644 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

The impressive 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 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%.

Full Lesley Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#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 Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Milton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 2 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 with aid list, Curry has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Curry College is $27,739 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

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

#16

Endicott College

Beverly, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

Endicott College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Endicott is a small school located in Beverly, Massachusetts that handed out 47 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Endicott did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $35,642 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend Endicott.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#17

Regis College

Weston, Massachusetts
#14 in overall quality

Regis College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. Weston, 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 1 students 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 $30,408 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

The 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.

Read full report on 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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Dean College is located in Franklin, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 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 with aid list, Dean College has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dean College is $31,337 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

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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