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Best Value Colleges in Massachusetts

We estimate how many years the earnings premium over a typical Massachusetts high school graduate would take to repay four years of net price. Across the 54 public and private nonprofit colleges that qualify, the estimate runs from 0.7 years at the fastest to 21.1 years at the slowest.

The median college needs 3.1 years to repay its net price, 0.1 years faster than the national median of 3.2 years. Public colleges (13) have a median payback of 3.0 years against 3.4 years for the 41 private nonprofit colleges, so public options tend to repay faster here.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks first at 0.7 years, ahead of Harvard University (0.8 years) and Massachusetts Maritime Academy (1.4 years). Payback is an estimate, not a forecast: it assumes four years of net price and the earnings of past graduates, and it says nothing about your own major or career.

How this list is built

A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.

Colleges considered
Public and private nonprofit 4-year colleges
Ranked by payback, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
  • Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
  • Main campus located in Massachusetts
  • At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
  • Graduation rate of 40% or higher
  • A reported payback value (schools without one are not ranked)
  • This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Massachusetts has 54
Data period
  • Payback: years for the earnings premium over a high school graduate in the same state to repay four years of net price (shown only when the premium is at least $2,000).
  • Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
  • Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
  • Graduate debt: median federal loan debt of completers, pooled 2020 and 2021 cohorts.
  • Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.

Read the full methodology

Showing the top 50 of 54 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.

Table: Best Value Colleges in Massachusetts
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 0.7 years$20,111$161,961$14,76896%
2 Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 0.8 years$19,066$134,794$14,00097%
3 Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Buzzards Bay, MA
Public · 4-year
 1.4 years$21,582$103,680$25,00077%
4 University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Lowell, MA
Public · 4-year
 1.7 years$17,163$81,163$23,70467%
5 Williams College
Williamstown, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 1.8 years$17,716$80,487$12,76195%
6 Northeastern University
Boston, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.0 years$30,915$101,903$24,25090%
7 Babson College
Wellesley, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.1 years$40,514$117,794$20,00093%
8 Bentley University
Waltham, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.2 years$37,930$108,577$25,02388%
9 Boston University
Boston, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.3 years$24,402$83,615$23,25089%
10 University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA
Public · 4-year
 2.4 years$22,383$78,620$22,76383%
11 Worcester State University
Worcester, MA
Public · 4-year
 2.4 years$13,381$63,801$19,50058%
12 Amherst College
Amherst, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.4 years$23,367$79,243$13,74094%
13 University of Massachusetts-Boston
Boston, MA
Public · 4-year
 2.5 years$17,707$69,532$21,97450%
14 Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.5 years$34,170$95,027$25,02868%
15 Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg, MA
Public · 4-year
 2.5 years$14,262$63,994$24,23954%
16 Regis College
Weston, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.5 years$27,477$84,660$25,50071%
17 Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.6 years$14,271$62,912$24,90151%
18 Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.7 years$43,071$105,724$27,00089%
19 Tufts University
Medford, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 2.8 years$39,998$97,474$16,25093%
20 Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.0 years$41,704$96,145$19,00091%
21 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, MA
Public · 4-year
 3.0 years$20,927$69,251$25,00051%
22 Salem State University
Salem, MA
Public · 4-year
 3.0 years$15,996$62,605$25,00052%
23 Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Boston, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.0 years$39,545$93,192$25,00063%
24 Western New England University
Springfield, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.0 years$27,290$76,928$25,50064%
25 College of Our Lady of the Elms
Chicopee, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.0 years$17,545$64,421$25,00066%
26 Framingham State University
Framingham, MA
Public · 4-year
 3.1 years$16,114$61,569$25,00049%
27 Simmons University
Boston, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.1 years$25,265$73,823$24,84072%
28 American International College
Springfield, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.1 years$23,274$71,565$27,00044%
29 Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.2 years$25,496$72,449$10,00091%
30 Anna Maria College
Paxton, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.4 years$28,333$74,347$25,00044%
31 Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA
Public · 4-year
 3.5 years$16,383$59,669$24,28654%
32 Suffolk University
Boston, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.5 years$29,618$74,456$26,88960%
33 Westfield State University
Westfield, MA
Public · 4-year
 3.6 years$16,721$59,434$22,45755%
34 College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.6 years$38,782$84,553$27,00088%
35 Curry College
Milton, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 3.7 years$29,207$72,447$25,00050%
36 Brandeis University
Waltham, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 4.0 years$35,736$76,742$25,64886%
37 Stonehill College
Easton, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 4.1 years$33,016$73,137$25,00078%
38 Assumption University
Worcester, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 4.4 years$29,498$67,745$27,00075%
39 Emmanuel College
Boston, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 4.8 years$26,706$63,280$27,00067%
40 Clark University
Worcester, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 5.0 years$28,714$63,965$26,75977%
41 Hult International Business School
Cambridge, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 5.3 years$45,447$75,197—66%
42 Nichols College
Dudley, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 5.6 years$33,036$64,532$27,00063%
43 Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 5.7 years$40,654$69,414$27,00076%
44 Gordon College
Wenham, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 6.0 years$24,883$57,638$26,25068%
45 Merrimack College
North Andover, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 6.2 years$37,927$65,506$27,00071%
46 Springfield College
Springfield, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 6.3 years$30,587$60,428$26,25071%
47 Lasell University
Newton, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 6.3 years$27,511$58,411$26,00056%
48 Smith College
Northampton, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 6.7 years$27,579$57,618$17,55089%
49 Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Norton, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 7.0 years$29,822$57,982$26,00074%
50 Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 7.9 years$26,441$54,450$22,90285%

How to compare these colleges

Treat the payback column as a way to compare schools, not as a promise about your own future. It uses the average net price, so your own cost may be higher or lower, and it uses median earnings of former students, which depend heavily on major. Check earnings for your intended program on each college profile, and favor schools where the graduation rate is high.

Guides worth reading first

More lists for Massachusetts

Same list in nearby states

All 84 colleges in Massachusetts See the national version of this ranking