Most selective colleges in Massachusetts
50 colleges ranked by acceptance rate
These 50 most selective colleges in Massachusetts, ranked by acceptance rate, run from 3% at Harvard University to 89% at Regis College. 7 are public and 43 are private.
| # | College | Type | Acceptance | Avg SAT | Net price / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA | Private | 3% | 1,553 | $16,816 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | Private | 5% | 1,553 | $19,813 |
| 3 | Northeastern University Boston, MA | Private | 6% | 1,505 | $32,116 |
| 4 | Amherst College Amherst, MA | Private | 10% | 1,494 | $18,246 |
| 5 | Williams College Williamstown, MA | Private | 10% | 1,527 | $14,852 |
| 6 | Tufts University Medford, MA | Private | 10% | 1,513 | $35,435 |
| 7 | Boston University Boston, MA | Private | 11% | 1,473 | $26,996 |
| 8 | Wellesley College Wellesley, MA | Private | 14% | 1,513 | $25,008 |
| 9 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA | Private | 16% | 1,501 | $39,866 |
| 10 | Smith College Northampton, MA | Private | 20% | 1,480 | $26,181 |
| 11 | Babson College Wellesley, MA | Private | 20% | 1,435 | $38,876 |
| 12 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA | Private | 21% | 1,354 | $36,868 |
| 13 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham, MA | Private | 22% | 1,540 | $20,575 |
| 14 | Brandeis University Waltham, MA | Private | 35% | 1,473 | $33,885 |
| 15 | Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA | Private | 38% | 1,422 | $29,562 |
| 16 | Clark University Worcester, MA | Private | 42% | 1,339 | $27,711 |
| 17 | The New England Conservatory of Music Boston, MA | Private | 43% | — | $42,556 |
| 18 | Emerson College Boston, MA | Private | 47% | 1,359 | $46,766 |
| 19 | Bentley University Waltham, MA | Private | 48% | 1,340 | $38,787 |
| 20 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA | Private | 50% | — | $50,404 |
| 21 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA | Public | 58% | 1,393 | $23,691 |
| 22 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA | Private | 59% | — | $43,273 |
| 23 | Gordon College Wenham, MA | Private | 59% | 1,268 | $24,817 |
| 24 | Eastern Nazarene College Quincy, MA | Private | 59% | 1,035 | $17,733 |
| 25 | Simmons University Boston, MA | Private | 66% | 1,332 | $27,313 |
| 26 | Springfield College Springfield, MA | Private | 70% | 1,120 | $29,187 |
| 27 | Hampshire College Amherst, MA | Private | 70% | — | $25,810 |
| 28 | Fisher College Boston, MA | Private | 71% | — | $25,702 |
| 29 | Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton, MA | Private | 71% | 1,321 | $30,934 |
| 30 | Endicott College Beverly, MA | Private | 72% | 1,263 | $39,324 |
| 31 | Stonehill College Easton, MA | Private | 73% | — | $29,969 |
| 32 | Bay Path University Longmeadow, MA | Private | 74% | — | $14,590 |
| 33 | Merrimack College North Andover, MA | Private | 74% | — | $37,899 |
| 34 | Dean College Franklin, MA | Private | 74% | — | $30,236 |
| 35 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA | Public | 77% | — | $23,764 |
| 36 | Emmanuel College Boston, MA | Private | 81% | 1,263 | $31,569 |
| 37 | Westfield State University Westfield, MA | Public | 81% | — | $18,561 |
| 38 | Lasell University Newton, MA | Private | 82% | 1,159 | $24,944 |
| 39 | University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston, MA | Public | 83% | 1,188 | $18,282 |
| 40 | Western New England University Springfield, MA | Private | 83% | 1,231 | $31,170 |
| 41 | Suffolk University Boston, MA | Private | 85% | 1,197 | $30,031 |
| 42 | Framingham State University Framingham, MA | Public | 85% | 1,150 | $16,698 |
| 43 | MCPHS University Boston, MA | Private | 85% | 1,216 | $35,084 |
| 44 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA | Public | 85% | 1,253 | $18,627 |
| 45 | Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA | Private | 85% | 1,226 | $34,170 |
| 46 | Assumption University Worcester, MA | Private | 87% | — | $28,853 |
| 47 | College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee, MA | Private | 88% | 1,240 | $21,436 |
| 48 | Nichols College Dudley, MA | Private | 88% | 1,110 | $31,065 |
| 49 | Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA | Public | 89% | 1,127 | $17,970 |
| 50 | Regis College Weston, MA | Private | 89% | — | $28,346 |
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