PlainCollege

State profile · 140 colleges · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Colleges in Massachusetts

Colleges in Massachusetts from PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, compared on acceptance, cost, and 10-year former-student earnings.

140
Colleges
$59,871
Avg 10-yr earnings (106 of 140)
61.6%
Avg acceptance

Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

Massachusetts · the picture in one line

Massachusetts's 106 of 140 colleges that report earnings average $59,871 in 10-year former-student earnings - 1st highest of 56 states and territories that report.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

#1
of 56 states by avg former-student earnings
$143,372
top earnings - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
61.6%
avg acceptance (71 reporting)
40 / 75 / 25
public / nonprofit / for-profit

Best earnings-to-cost value among Massachusetts colleges with reported figures: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Massachusetts · enrollment ≠ earnings

In Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts-Amherst leads by undergraduate enrollment (23,671 students, #1 of 101) but ranks #27 of 101 on 10-year median earnings ($71,631), while Massachusetts Institute of Technology tops earnings at $143,372 (#1 of 101) with 4,535 students (#18 of 101). The biggest campus is not always the highest-paying outcome.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

23,671
University of enrollment #1
$143,372
Massachusetts Institute earnings #1
#1
Enrollment rank of earnings leader
#27
Earnings rank of enrollment leader

Enrollment is IPEDS fall headcount; earnings are Scorecard 10-year medians for federally aided former students. Different populations, not one ROI ratio.

Enrollment of Massachusetts's #1 campuses by size vs earnings

Same unit (undergraduate students) for both named leaders.

students

What this shows University of Massachusetts-Amherst is largest by enrollment; Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on 10-year earnings at $143,372.

Source IPEDS via College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

This page aggregates colleges and universities in Massachusetts returned by PlainCollege's U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard snapshot. It combines IPEDS-derived institutional fields with Treasury-derived earnings published for federal-aid recipients. Coverage includes public flagships, regional comprehensives, community and technical colleges, private nonprofit institutions, and for-profit schools.

The state-aggregate statistics below include all reporting institutions in Massachusetts as a single denominator, community colleges, public universities, private nonprofits, and for-profit institutions are pooled. State averages are therefore useful for high-level framing (in-state tuition is X, average admission rate is Y, average earnings are Z) but should not be read as representative of any specific sector or institution. Drill into individual school profiles for the full picture: admissions, costs (sticker and net), federal-aid usage, completion, retention, demographics, and earnings outcomes 6 and 10 years after enrollment.

The Scorecard data used here was retrieved in March–July 2026. That retrieval window is not the measurement year: tuition and enrollment fields retain their source reporting periods, while 10-year institution earnings describe federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, a decade after entry.

Largest Colleges in Massachusetts by Enrollment

IPEDS Fall enrollment via College Scorecard.

students

What this shows Enrollment size reflects institutional scale, not quality or on-campus experience - a large school here can still be a small, selective program relative to its state peers.

Source IPEDS As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Highest Earnings, 10-Year Median: Massachusetts

U.S. Treasury earnings linkage via College Scorecard.

USD

What this shows Former-student earnings vary by program mix and local labor market as much as by the school itself; this comparison does not isolate a school's causal effect.

Source College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

The ROI lens

Massachusetts colleges: earnings vs. cost

Massachusetts colleges, positioned by earnings vs net price Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 14 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Massachusetts colleges, positioned by earnings vs net price COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $29K $109K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $5K $52K Avg Net Price ($) University of Massachusetts-Amherst: $72K earn · $22K net · 83% grad University of Mass… Boston University: $83K earn · $24K net · 89% grad Boston University Northeastern University: $93K earn · $31K net · 90% grad Northeastern Unive… University of Massachusetts-Boston: $66K earn · $18K net · 50% grad University of Mass… University of Massachusetts-Lowell: $65K earn · $17K net · 67% grad University of Mass… Boston College: $104K earn · $42K net · 91% grad Boston College Bunker Hill Community College: $48K earn · $8K net · 16% grad Bridgewater State University: $57K earn · $16K net · 54% grad Harvard University: $102K earn · $19K net · 97% grad Berklee College of Music: $34K earn · $49K net · 67% grad Tufts University: $83K earn · $40K net · 93% grad Quinsigamond Community College: $46K earn · $9K net · 21% grad Bristol Community College: $39K earn · $6K net · 22% grad Worcester Polytechnic Institute: $103K earn · $43K net · 89% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

National context

How Massachusetts ranks among the states

Massachusetts's average 10-year earnings of $59,871 place it in the 98th percentile among all 56 states and territories tracked by the College Scorecard.

Massachusetts: average former-student earnings vs. every state

State-average 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$59,871 Top 2% higher than 98% of 56 states & territories

$24,000–$28,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $28,000–$32,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $32,000–$36,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $36,000–$40,000: 12 states & territories (21%). Below this entry. $40,000–$44,000: 14 states & territories (25%). Below this entry. $44,000–$48,000: 10 states & territories (18%). Below this entry. $48,000–$52,000: 7 states & territories (13%). Below this entry. $52,000–$56,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $56,000–$60,000: 3 states & territories (5%). This entry sits in this band. MA $24,000 $60,000 every state, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $4K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Massachusetts vs. every state, at a glance
EarningsAffordabilityOptionsAccess

Each axis is this state's percentile among all states & territories on that metric (Earnings/Affordability/Options/Access) -- not a composite grade, just four independent comparisons in one shape.

School type matters

How school type shapes earnings in Massachusetts

Average 10-year former-student earnings by institution type. Program mix, selectivity, student background, and local labor markets all contribute to the observed gaps, so read this beside each school's own figures.

Average former-student earnings by school type - Massachusetts

Mean of per-school 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

avg earnings

What this shows Keeping schools within one state reduces some regional variation, but this descriptive comparison does not control for program mix, selection, or student background.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
140
Total Schools
$34,272
Avg In-State Tuition (93 of 140)
61.6%
Avg Acceptance Rate (71 of 140)
$59,871
Avg Median Earnings (106 of 140)
40 Public 75 Private NP 25 For-Profit
Ownership Breakdown

What the IPEDS Data Shows for Colleges in Massachusetts

PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset contains 140 postsecondary institutions in Massachusetts. The ownership mix is 40 public institutions, 75 private nonprofits, and 25 private for-profit schools. Public institutions often report lower in-state tuition because state appropriations subsidize the published price, while private nonprofits may show higher sticker prices partly offset by institutional aid.

Cost and selectivity signals vary widely even within a single state. The average in-state tuition among the 93 of 140 Massachusetts institutions that report one is $34,272, and the average admission rate among the 71 that report one sits at 61.6%. Admission rates from IPEDS exclude open-enrollment institutions, which is why community colleges and many for-profits show as unreported rather than at 100 percent. Looking at the table, the acceptance-rate column is blank for schools that don’t screen applicants, a meaningful distinction when evaluating selectivity alongside earnings.

Institution-level earnings connect cost to one observed outcome. Among the 106 of 140 Massachusetts colleges that report 10-year median earnings, federally aided former students show a mean of $59,871, based on Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard. Because earnings depend heavily on field of study, student background, and local labor markets, state-level averages should be read alongside each school’s program mix. The table sorts institutions with reported IPEDS enrollment so users can compare acceptance rates, enrollment scale, and median earnings side by side.

All Schools in Massachusetts

School Name City Type Enrollment Acceptance Rate 10yr Earnings
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst Public 23,671 59.7% $71,631
Boston University Boston Private NP 18,248 11.1% $83,238
Northeastern University Boston Private NP 17,326 5.2% $92,538
University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston Public 11,512 83.8% $65,865
University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell Public 11,434 83.0% $64,874
Boston College Chestnut Hill Private NP 10,085 16.4% $103,937
Bunker Hill Community College Boston Public 8,612 - $47,618
Bridgewater State University Bridgewater Public 7,829 87.8% $57,466
Harvard University Cambridge Private NP 7,601 3.6% $101,817
Berklee College of Music Boston Private NP 7,468 43.5% $33,647
Tufts University Medford Private NP 7,061 11.5% $83,214
Quinsigamond Community College Worcester Public 6,447 - $45,949
Bristol Community College Fall River Public 6,083 - $38,663
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester Private NP 5,447 60.2% $103,470
Middlesex Community College Bedford Public 5,412 - $50,651
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth Public 5,221 90.6% $68,804
Springfield Technical Community College Springfield Public 4,759 - $36,966
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge Private NP 4,535 4.5% $143,372
Bentley University Waltham Private NP 4,474 45.1% $120,959
North Shore Community College Danvers Public 4,393 - $45,391
Salem State University Salem Public 4,291 95.9% $56,662
Suffolk University Boston Private NP 4,268 82.3% $67,506
Massasoit Community College Brockton Public 4,235 - $46,111
Worcester State University Worcester Public 3,930 88.0% $60,624
Merrimack College North Andover Private NP 3,916 70.0% $75,584
Emerson College Boston Private NP 3,870 51.3% $62,832
Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills Public 3,837 - $52,654
Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston Private NP 3,747 91.2% $82,721
Northern Essex Community College Haverhill Public 3,685 - $42,862
Brandeis University Waltham Private NP 3,618 40.5% $77,231
Westfield State University Westfield Public 3,615 81.4% $57,346
Holyoke Community College Holyoke Public 3,591 - $37,277
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Boston Private NP 3,451 85.2% $125,557
Endicott College Beverly Private NP 3,125 71.2% $58,336
College of the Holy Cross Worcester Private NP 3,106 17.6% $90,543
Mount Wachusett Community College Gardner Public 3,059 - $41,118
Cape Cod Community College West Barnstable Public 2,911 - $43,670
Fitchburg State University Fitchburg Public 2,752 86.9% $53,874
Babson College Wellesley Private NP 2,728 17.1% $123,938
Western New England University Springfield Private NP 2,603 83.5% $73,157
Framingham State University Framingham Public 2,566 83.6% $52,349
Smith College Northampton Private NP 2,544 21.0% $64,027
Stonehill College Easton Private NP 2,528 66.3% $77,745
Quincy College Quincy Public 2,300 - $52,506
Wellesley College Wellesley Private NP 2,300 14.1% $84,803
Clark University Worcester Private NP 2,214 39.5% $62,381
Mount Holyoke College South Hadley Private NP 2,169 36.0% $58,418
Williams College Williamstown Private NP 2,076 8.3% $88,665
Roxbury Community College Roxbury Crossing Public 1,977 - $38,773
Amherst College Amherst Private NP 1,911 9.0% $77,644
Emmanuel College Boston Private NP 1,854 75.6% $68,245
Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston Public 1,831 76.3% $43,582
Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston Private NP 1,802 - $92,538
Curry College Milton Private NP 1,780 87.6% $54,400
Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton Private NP 1,773 67.7% $67,725
Springfield College Springfield Private NP 1,751 71.9% $48,036
Simmons University Boston Private NP 1,670 70.0% $63,494
Assumption University Worcester Private NP 1,669 83.0% $74,895
Greenfield Community College Greenfield Public 1,395 - $37,132
Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay Public 1,395 94.7% $82,392
Berkshire Community College Pittsfield Public 1,358 - $38,832
Gordon College Wenham Private NP 1,278 69.2% $52,119
Lasell University Newton Private NP 1,226 81.2% $49,705
Fisher College Boston Private NP 1,167 70.7% $49,669
Nichols College Dudley Private NP 1,163 80.8% $58,063
Lesley University Cambridge Private NP 1,122 96.9% $51,173
Bay Path University Longmeadow Private NP 1,108 85.2% $55,383
Dean College Franklin Private NP 1,089 73.7% $38,109
American International College Springfield Private NP 1,017 99.6% $53,124
Regis College Weston Private NP 956 69.8% $52,873
College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee Private NP 949 85.3% $51,540
Anna Maria College Paxton Private NP 906 50.3% $46,651
Hampshire College Amherst Private NP 839 75.3% $46,938
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams Public 713 89.7% $48,102
Hult International Business School Cambridge Private NP 618 60.5% -
Cambridge College Boston Private NP 532 - $45,998
Laboure College of Healthcare Milton Private NP 525 50.0% $62,200
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology Boston Private NP 483 - $57,556
Urban College of Boston Boston Private NP 438 - $35,472
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Massachusetts North Andover For-Profit 430 - $53,085
The New England Conservatory of Music Boston Private NP 393 41.1% $34,483
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham Private NP 377 25.2% $129,455
Motoring Technical Training Institute Seekonk For-Profit 312 - $48,281
Boston Architectural College Boston Private NP 280 - $62,123
Southeastern Technical Institute South Easton Public 260 70.6% -
National Aviation Academy of New England Concord For-Profit 241 - $59,009
Spa Tech Institute-Plymouth Plymouth For-Profit 233 - $27,803
Montserrat College of Art Beverly Private NP 226 - $33,022
Jupiter Beauty Academy Boston For-Profit 201 - -
COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester Worcester For-Profit 192 - -
FINE Mortuary College Norwood For-Profit 185 - -
Spa Tech Institute-Westboro Westborough For-Profit 182 - $27,803
Springfield College-Regional Online and Continuing Education Springfield Private NP 176 - $48,036
Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics Woburn For-Profit 174 - -
Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing Medford Private NP 174 - $101,466
MGH Institute of Health Professions Boston Private NP 164 - $87,130
North Bennet Street School Boston Private NP 155 - $43,993
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing Brockton Private NP 146 34.2% $88,084
Spa Tech Institute-North Andover North Andover For-Profit 118 - $27,803
Rob Roy Academy-Worcester Worcester For-Profit 109 - $30,033
Rob Roy Academy-Fall River Fall River For-Profit 97 - $32,113
Empire Beauty School-Malden Malden For-Profit 95 - $23,921
New England Hair Academy Malden For-Profit 87 - -
Northpoint Bible College Haverhill Private NP 86 - $42,210
Greater Lowell Technical School Tyngsboro Public 80 75.0% -
Tri County Regional Vocational Technical High School Franklin Public 72 - -
Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School Bourne Public 70 71.4% -
Lowell Academy Hairstyling Institute Lowell For-Profit 66 - -
Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Brookline Private NP 64 79.6% $51,724
Sattler College Boston Private NP 57 69.0% -
Monty Tech Fitchburg Public 48 83.0% -
Assabet Valley Regional Technical School Marlborough Public 47 85.5% -
EINE Inc Tewksbury For-Profit 47 - -
Massachusetts School of Barbering Quincy For-Profit 44 - -
Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District Upton Public 42 - -
Charles H McCann Technical School North Adams Public 41 - -
William James College Newton Private NP 39 - -
Alexander Academy Lunenburg For-Profit 39 - -
Shawsheen Valley School of Practical Nursing Billerica Public 37 - -
Technology Learning Center Oxford For-Profit 31 - -
Rob Roy Academy-Taunton Taunton For-Profit 23 - -
DiGrigoli School of Cosmetology West Springfield For-Profit 21 - $14,195
Boston Baptist College Boston Private NP 19 90.9% $34,159
Diman Regional Technical Institute Fall River Public 17 39.2% -
Rob Roy Academy-New Bedford New Bedford For-Profit 15 - -
Longy School of Music of Bard College Cambridge Private NP 10 - $46,543
Saint John's Seminary Brighton Private NP 7 - -
Hebrew College Newton Private NP 0 - -
Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis Inc Brookline Private NP - - -
Conway School of Landscape Design Northampton Private NP - - -
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary South Hamilton Private NP - - -
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School Worcester Public - - -
New England College of Optometry Boston Private NP - - -
New England Law-Boston Boston Private NP - - -
Massachusetts School of Law Andover Private NP - - -
Thomas Aquinas College - New England Northfield Private NP - - $55,619
Porter and Chester Institute of Worcester Worcester For-Profit - - $41,588
Porter and Chester Institute - Brockton Brockton For-Profit - - $41,588
Porter and Chester Institute - Chicopee Chicopee For-Profit - - $41,588
Bard College - Holyoke Microcollege Holyoke Private NP - - $46,543

Featured Colleges in Massachusetts

Quick picks from this state – compare two schools side by side

University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA
23,671 students
Boston University
Boston, MA
18,248 students
Northeastern University
Boston, MA
17,326 students
University of Massachusetts-Boston
Boston, MA
11,512 students
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Lowell, MA
11,434 students
Compare University of Massachusetts-Amherst vs Boston University →

Explore more Massachusetts data

Highest-earning colleges → Best value colleges → ROI calculator → Compare states →

Guides & Resources

Is College Worth It?

A data-driven answer using earnings and cost data.

How to Compare Colleges

A framework for picking schools with data, not rankings alone.

Financial Aid & Net Price

How net price differs from sticker price and financial aid.

Understanding College Earnings Data

How Scorecard earnings figures are measured and their limits.

About This Data

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, PlainCollege's current snapshots were retrieved in March–July 2026. This state's institution-level figures come from the July retrieval, including IPEDS-derived characteristics. Earnings represent median income 10 years after enrollment for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, using U.S. Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What this means for Massachusetts applicants

  • Massachusetts has 140 colleges in PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, spanning community colleges, public flagships, and private institutions.
  • Average reported admission rate across Massachusetts colleges is 61.6% - individual schools vary widely, check each profile for its own rate.
  • State-level averages pool every reporting institution together; run a specific school's numbers before assuming the state figure applies to it.Use the ROI calculator

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or educational advice. State-level averages pool every reporting institution and do not predict any individual school's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. State-level rollups are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.