Colleges in Massachusetts
15 Massachusetts colleges grouped by how selective they are. Tiers are broad bands, not admission odds.
1 Other public universities · 14 Private
Most SelectiveUnder ~15% acceptance
Highly Selective~15-30% acceptance
Selective~30-50% acceptance
Moderately Selective~50-75% acceptance
Massachusetts colleges by field
Schools in Massachusetts with a widely recognized strength in each field. Not exhaustive, see each field's page for colleges in every state.
Other states
- California
- New Jersey
- New York
- Texas
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- Illinois
- Ohio
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Michigan
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Washington
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Indiana
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Connecticut
- South Carolina
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Kentucky
- Utah
- District of Columbia
- Louisiana
- Oklahoma
- Iowa
- Rhode Island
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- Delaware
- Arkansas
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Maine
- Vermont
- Hawaii
- West Virginia
- Idaho
- Montana
- Wyoming
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Alaska
Frequently asked questions
How many Massachusetts colleges are in the MajorAtlas College Finder?+
15 colleges in Massachusetts are currently listed. It's a curated starting set, not every college in the state, so a school's absence doesn't mean anything about its quality.
Which Massachusetts colleges are the most selective?+
By our tiers, the most selective Massachusetts schools listed are Amherst College, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Tufts University, and Williams College. Treat these as reaches for nearly every applicant and balance them with lower-tier schools.
Are these exact admission odds for Massachusetts colleges?+
No. Tiers are broad bands based on reported acceptance rates, which change every cycle and differ by major. For a specific school's current numbers, use its Common Data Set; our guide "How to Build Your Own College List by Score and GPA" explains how.
Tiers and "known for" tags are general guidance compiled from public sources and may be out of date. Confirm details with each school.