2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region
With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its Top New England Region Schools ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 168 colleges and universities across the New England Region to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
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Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
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!
Top Colleges in the New England Region
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology tops this year’s ranking as the best school in the New England Region for overall quality. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3,715 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
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%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from MIT go into careers with an average salary of $104,700 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dartmouth College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,114 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth go into careers with an average salary of $75,500 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the New England Region list means Yale University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,942 students in 2019-2020.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 88%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Yale make an average of $83,200 a year.
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges in the New England Region list means Harvard University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 8,358 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard is $89,700 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 168 schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Williams College landed the #5 spot on the list. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 818 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Williams make an average of $59,000 a year.
Brown University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in the New England Region list.Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,269 students in 2019-2020.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Brown is $67,500 during the early years of their career.
Bowdoin College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Bowdoin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Brunswick, Maine. It awarded 666 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 86%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $65,500 during the early years of their career..
Amherst College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 641 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Amherst make an average of $65,000 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #9, College of the Holy Cross did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 864 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Holy Cross make an average of $71,000 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #10, Tufts University did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,793 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 88%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Tufts go into careers with an average salary of $75,800 during the early years of their career.
Bentley University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Bentley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,748 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 83%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $86,900 during the early years of their career..
Boston College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and it awarded 4,882 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Boston College make an average of $72,500 per year during the early years of their career.
Middlebury College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Middlebury, Vermont, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,036 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Middlebury make an average of $58,200 a year.
With a ranking of #14, Wellesley College did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Wellesley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 713 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 86%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley is $60,800 during the early years of their career.
Colby College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #15. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Waterville, Maine, and it awarded 651 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $58,100 during the early years of their career..
Trinity College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Trinity Bantams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hartford, Connecticut. It awarded 653 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Trinity Bantams make an average of $66,100 per year during the early years of their career.
Northeastern University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Northeastern is located in Boston, Massachusetts and has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7,648 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern go into careers with an average salary of $67,400 during the early years of their career.
Bates College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Located in Lewiston, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 576 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 83%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Bates is $59,200 during the early years of their career.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #19. WPI is a private not-for-profit institution located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,887 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 76%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from WPI make an average of $84,900 per year during the early years of their career.
Boston University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11,894 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Boston U is $65,300 during the early years of their career.
Wesleyan University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Wesleyan U is located in Middletown, Connecticut and has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,194 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 92%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Wesleyan U make an average of $54,700 a year.
Maine Maritime Academy did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #22.Castine, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 191 students in 2019-2020.
The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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% During the early years of their career, graduates from Maine Maritime make an average of $95,600 a year.
With a ranking of #23, Massachusetts Maritime Academy did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region list.Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 453 students in 2019-2020.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Maritime make an average of $86,600 a year.
Providence College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,345 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $64,100 during the early years of their career..
Stonehill College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Easton, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 758 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Stonehill go into careers with an average salary of $60,800 during the early years of their career.
Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges in the New England Region
Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Fairfield University | Fairfield, CT |
| 28 | Brandeis University | Waltham, MA |
| 29 | Emerson College | Boston, MA |
| 30 | Bryant University | Smithfield, RI |
| 31 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 32 | Saint Anselm College | Manchester, NH |
| 33 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 34 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | Boston, MA |
More New England Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
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%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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