by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the college options in Massachusetts, it can be hard to know where to start. We have ranked **47** institutions by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you make your decision, College Factual evaluated 47 colleges using more than 20 objective factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, and per-student spending, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Learn more about these excellent colleges below:
Leading the list is Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, our #1 college in Massachusetts. Set in Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. About 96% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $62,396. Graduates go on to earn a median of $113,129 early in their careers. Massachusetts Institute Of Technology students take on a median of $13,516 in debt.
The strong outcomes at Boston College earned it the #2 place in Massachusetts. Based in Chestnut Hill, MA, Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 91% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees average $70,702. Median early-career earnings reach $66,132. Students borrow a median of $18,101 to complete a degree here.
Out of the 47 colleges in Massachusetts in this year's ranking, Tufts University landed the #3 spot. Located in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 94% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $70,704. Early-career graduates earn a median of $68,154. Typical student debt is $17,074.
A rank of #4 makes Harvard University one of the top colleges in Massachusetts. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Harvard University posts a six-year graduation rate of 98%. In-state tuition and fees run about $61,676. Median early-career earnings reach $95,207. The median student debt is $16,616.
Out of the 47 colleges in Massachusetts in this year's ranking, Babson College landed the #5 spot. Set in Wellesley, MA, Babson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 93% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees run about $57,152. Graduates go on to earn a median of $106,540 early in their careers. The median student debt is $23,000.
Northeastern University did well this year, earning the #6 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. About 90% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $66,162. Early-career graduates earn a median of $74,800. Northeastern University students take on a median of $25,611 in debt.
Boston University landed the #7 spot in Massachusetts this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. Roughly 89% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,102. Boston University graduates report median early-career earnings of $63,598. The median student debt is $25,232.
Bentley University ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Set in Waltham, MA, Bentley University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 87% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees run about $61,000. Early-career graduates earn a median of $76,110. Typical student debt is $25,476.
Amherst College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 94% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees run about $70,480. Graduates go on to earn a median of $59,271 early in their careers. Typical student debt is $15,398.
College Of The Holy Cross landed the #10 spot in Massachusetts this year. Set in Worcester, MA, College Of The Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution. About 87% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $64,500. Graduates go on to earn a median of $51,478 early in their careers. College Of The Holy Cross students take on a median of $26,387 in debt.
Wellesley College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Wellesley College graduates 92% of students within six years. Students from in state pay about $67,176 in tuition and fees. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $48,902. Typical student debt is $11,075.
Williams College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Williams College is a private not-for-profit school based in Williamstown, MA. The six-year graduation rate is 94%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $68,560. Median early-career earnings reach $53,652. The median student debt is $12,615.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Worcester, MA, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 90% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $60,765. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $91,834. Graduates carry a median of $26,259 in student loans.
University Of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #14 in this year's ranking. University Of Massachusetts Amherst is a public school based in Amherst, MA. Roughly 83% of students complete a degree within six years here. Students from in state pay about $17,772 in tuition and fees, compared with $40,449 for out-of-state students. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $53,543. Typical student debt is $25,234.
Olin College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Olin College is a private not-for-profit school based in Needham, MA. About 96% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $63,742. Olin College graduates report median early-career earnings of $98,522. Olin College students take on a median of $14,512 in debt.
Massachusetts College Of Pharmacy And Health Sciences ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Based in Boston, MA, Massachusetts College Of Pharmacy And Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 61% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $40,530. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $73,671. The median student debt is $29,056.
Emerson College landed the #17 spot in Massachusetts this year. Set in Boston, MA, Emerson College is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 77%. In-state tuition and fees run about $57,056. Early-career graduates earn a median of $40,654. Typical student debt is $24,813.
Brandeis University placed #18 among the best colleges in Massachusetts. Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waltham, MA. The six-year graduation rate is 86%. Students from in state pay about $68,080 in tuition and fees. Early-career graduates earn a median of $47,783. Typical student debt is $25,653.
Endicott College ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Endicott College is a private not-for-profit school based in Beverly, MA. About 75% of students finish within six years. Students from in state pay about $40,650 in tuition and fees. Early-career graduates earn a median of $55,361. The median student debt is $25,973.
Stonehill College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Stonehill College posts a six-year graduation rate of 76%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $56,370. Graduates go on to earn a median of $45,704 early in their careers. Graduates carry a median of $25,603 in student loans.
Simmons College ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Based in Boston, MA, Simmons College is a private not-for-profit institution. Simmons College posts a six-year graduation rate of 72%. In-state tuition and fees average $46,874. Simmons College graduates report median early-career earnings of $63,860. The median student debt is $26,740.
University Of Massachusetts Lowell ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Located in Lowell, MA, University Of Massachusetts Lowell is a public institution. University Of Massachusetts Lowell graduates 65% of students within six years. Students from in state pay about $16,966 in tuition and fees, compared with $36,264 for out-of-state students. Early-career graduates earn a median of $66,985. Students borrow a median of $25,574 to complete a degree here.
Merrimack College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. About 70% of students finish within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $53,962. Merrimack College graduates report median early-career earnings of $50,506. Graduates carry a median of $26,913 in student loans.
Wentworth Institute Of Technology came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Set in Boston, MA, Wentworth Institute Of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Wentworth Institute Of Technology graduates 68% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $42,884. Wentworth Institute Of Technology graduates report median early-career earnings of $72,538. Typical student debt is $26,887.
Smith College placed #25 among the best colleges in Massachusetts. Based in Northampton, MA, Smith College is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 89% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $65,178. Median early-career earnings reach $40,436. Smith College students take on a median of $18,941 in debt.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
These rankings are produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Colleges are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and per-student spending drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
