Best Colleges in Massachusetts of 2023

Few universities have the name recognition Harvard does, and this venerable ivy league institution, founded in 1636, has much to offer the 35,000+ students who live and study there. The largest endowment of any academic institution in the United States means that Harvard can admit students regardless of financial need and provide generous financial aid. The university offers 50 undergraduate majors and 134 graduate-level degree programs, many with a liberal arts and sciences focus. As a research institution, its doctoral programs in the arts, sciences, engineering, and medicine offer students the opportunity to break new ground in their fields. The university's research in biomedicine is particularly robust. Harvard has 12 degree-granting schools, as well as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute and many nondegree opportunities for lifelong learners. Harvard's alumni include presidents, Nobel Prize laureates, poets, and others who represent the best in their fields.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is perhaps best known for its science, technology, and engineering programs but is also known for graduating entrepreneurial individuals who go on to found well-known companies such as Intel to Rockwell International. It is highly selective, admitting only 4.1%of applicants for the class of 2025. About 59% of undergraduates receive financial aid of some sort from the school, with fellowships, research assistantships, and more available at the graduate level. Undergraduates are guaranteed on-campus housing on the main campus, which stretches for nearly a mile on the north side of the Charles River. There are more than 500 student organizations and about 40 Greek-letter and independent living groups for students to choose from if they wish. A total of 31 varsity sports are played at the NCAA Division III level, and there are also intercollegiate teams, which are called the MIT Engineers.

Tufts offers more than 90 undergraduate and 160 graduate programs for students - some of them collaborations with Harvard or MIT. It has the oldest graduate school for international relations in the country and is known for its study abroad programs and internationalism. Tufts is located on four campuses in the Boston region, with a satellite campus in Talloires, France. The university is home to roughly 10,872 students, slightly more than half of them at the undergraduate level. Admission is highly selective: the university admitted only 9% of applicants for the class of 2026. More than half of undergraduates live on campus in one of 40 residences, which include apartments, traditional dorms, and special interest houses. The student-to-faculty ratio at Tufts is 9:1. Undergraduate majors range from Africana studies to civil engineering, and almost all undergrads complete at least one internship.

Founded and run by the Jesuit order of Roman Catholic priests, Boston College began as a small liberal arts college. It has grown into a research institution of distinction with nearly 10,000 undergraduate students and 5,000 graduate students. It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in eight schools, including a law school, a school of theology, and the Carroll School of Management. The college's sports teams, the Eagles, participate at NCAA Division I level. The college's main campus is located in Chestnut Hill outside of Boston, although it has other facilities spread throughout the Boston region. BC is selective with admissions, accepting 19.9% of applicants for the 2025 class. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1, and there are 882 full-time faculty. Some of the school's most well-regarded undergraduate programs include finance, economics, nursing, and neuroscience. About 69%of undergraduates receive financial aid.

Boston University is a large research institution with more than 36,000 students from more than 130 countries and over 10,000 faculty and staff at its Charles River campus and other locations. The university comprises 17 schools and colleges, including colleges of communications, engineering, fine arts, and health and rehabilitation sciences. It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in more than 300 areas of study, including medical, dental, and law. The admittance rate is 14%. The university's varsity sports teams, the Terriers, participate in NCAA Division I. There are also 34 club sports, which include sailing and table tennis. Housing at BU includes a range of options, from townhouses to high-rises, and 76% of undergraduates choose to live on campus. BU also has campuses in London, Los Angeles, Paris, Washington, D.C., and Sydney, and there are 70+ programs available for students to study abroad in 25+ countries.

Founded in 1948, Brandeis is a nonsectarian research university with a focus on liberal arts, especially at the undergraduate level. The main campus is located in Waltham. Total enrollment is roughly 6,000, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. The university's acceptance rate is 34%. Brandeis has both undergraduate and graduate schools of arts and sciences, as well as the Brandeis International Business School, the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and the Rabb School for students pursuing professional development and lifelong learning. The college's faculty includes Nobel Prize winners, fellows in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" winners, and more. The majority of the university's 3,700 undergraduates live on campus, and there are extensive housing options in Waltham for those who wish to live off campus. Brandeis has 19 NCAA Division III sports teams.

Northeastern University is based in Boston but has satellite campuses across the United States, Canada, and England. The university is unique in its focus on cooperative education, which combines classroom learning with paid professional experiences that are undertaken with more than 3,000 partner institutions, corporations, and organizations. This includes opportunities for experiential learning in 148 countries in 2021, with research awards of $181 million. The university offers 90+ majors and concentrations spread across nine schools and colleges, including the School of Law, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Bouve College of Health Sciences. Programs are available at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. There is an array of housing options, both on campus and in the local area, and first- and second-year students are expected to live on campus. The university's 16 sports teams, the Huskies, participate in the NCAA Division I.

Based in New England's second largest city, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a doctoral university with intensive research opportunities and more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, and technology as well as the social sciences, humanities, and the arts. WPI supports project-based learning, which allows students to learn by doing, and is at the core of its STEM programs. The WPI academic year consists of four seven-week terms, with another optional two in the summer. Students take three courses a term. In their junior and senior year, students participate in an Interactive Qualifying Project that requires them to delve deeply into a real-world problem. WPI has multiple on-campus housing options and offers resources for those who choose to live off campus. The Institute has 20 varsity teams at the NCAA Division III level, and students can also participate in club sports and intramurals.

University of Massachusetts Amherst is the flagship institution and largest campus in the state university system. It enrolls more than 30,000 students each year and has roughly 1,400 faculty members. The university has 110 undergrad and 127 graduate programs at the master's and doctoral levels offered both on campus and online. These are available through the university's 12 schools and colleges, which include colleges of education, engineering, and information and computer sciences. UMass has a low tuition rate, with in-state students paying $113-$141 per credit at the undergraduate level. UMass Amherst has one of the largest on-campus housing systems in the United States, with 52 residence halls and four undergrad apartment buildings. It is a member of NCAA Division I, with football being particularly popular. UMass Amherst's University Without Walls program offers professional development and degree completion courses in a variety of formats for lifelong learners.

Located on a tree-filled campus in Worcester, Clark University promotes a liberal arts curriculum accompanied by research experience at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and certificate programs in disciplines ranging from entrepreneurship and innovation to game design and development. An accelerated degree program gives Clark undergraduates the opportunity to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree in five years, with the possibility of a full or partial tuition scholarship. The curriculum is structured around Liberal Education and Effective Practice, which connects classroom learning with workplace experiences. Students are required to live on campus for their first four semesters, and there are a variety of housing options for them to choose from. Clark fields 17 NCAA Division III teams, the Cougars, along with a variety of club and intramural sports, such as ultimate frisbee and quidditch.