by our College Data Analytics TeamWhen pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Top Massachusetts Colleges ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 63 colleges and universities across Massachusetts to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking methodology focuses on over 20 different objective factors - such as graduation rate, post graduate earnings, and a school's average expenditure per student - to make this determination.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the best school for overall quality in Massachusetts in this year’s ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from MIT make an average of $143,372 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #2 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
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 Harvard go into careers with an average salary of $101,817 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boston College. It ranked #3 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
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 $103,937 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boston University. It ranked #4 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 84%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Boston U go into careers with an average salary of $83,238 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bentley University. The school came in at #5 in Massachusetts on this year’s overall quality ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Bentley make an average of $120,959 per year during the early years of their career.
Northeastern University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern make an average of $92,538 per year during the early years of their career.
Tufts University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 89%. 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 $83,214 during the early years of their career..
Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #8 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 81%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from WPI go into careers with an average salary of $103,470 during the early years of their career.
College of the Holy Cross came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Holy Cross go into careers with an average salary of $90,543 during the early years of their career.
University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #10.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst is $71,631 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #11, Simmons University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
The student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Simmons is $63,494 during the early years of their career.
Amherst College landed the #12 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 85%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $77,644 during the early years of their career..
Williams College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Williams make an average of $88,665 a year.
Wellesley College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
The student-to-faculty rate of 7 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 $84,803 during the early years of their career..
Brandeis University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #15.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Brandeis make an average of $77,231 a year.
Emerson College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $62,832 during the early years of their career..
University of Massachusetts - Lowell came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UMass Lowell is $64,874 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #18, Suffolk University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $67,506 during the early years of their career..
Wentworth Institute of Technology ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from WIT go into careers with an average salary of $82,721 during the early years of their career.
Springfield College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College go into careers with an average salary of $48,036 during the early years of their career.
Smith College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
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. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Smith is $64,027 during the early years of their career.
Endicott College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Endicott make an average of $58,336 a year.
Clark University landed the #23 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Clark make an average of $62,381 a year.
Bridgewater State University landed the #24 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State is $57,466 during the early years of their career.
University of Massachusetts - Boston ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges in Massachusetts list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UMass Boston make an average of $65,865 a year.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.