Cheapest Colleges in Massachusetts
Sticker prices at the 59 four-year colleges we rank in Massachusetts run from $11,346 to $70,704 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $59,358 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 13 public colleges here charge a median of $12,338 a year, $2,398 (24%) above the national public median of $9,940. The 46 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $53,001, above the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Fitchburg State University ranks first at $11,346, ahead of Massachusetts Maritime Academy ($11,420) and Worcester State University ($11,786).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, 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)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Massachusetts has 59
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- 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.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing the top 50 of 59 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA Public · 4-year | $11,346 | $17,426 | $14,262 | 54% | 2,752 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA Public · 4-year | $11,420 | $23,722 | $21,582 | 77% | 1,395 |
| 3 | Worcester State University Worcester, MA Public · 4-year | $11,786 | $17,866 | $13,381 | 58% | 3,930 |
| 4 | Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA Public · 4-year | $11,808 | $17,948 | $16,383 | 54% | 7,829 |
| 5 | Framingham State University Framingham, MA Public · 4-year | $11,920 | $18,000 | $16,114 | 49% | 2,566 |
| 6 | Westfield State University Westfield, MA Public · 4-year | $12,179 | $18,259 | $16,721 | 55% | 3,615 |
| 7 | Salem State University Salem, MA Public · 4-year | $12,338 | $19,531 | $15,996 | 52% | 4,291 |
| 8 | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, MA Public · 4-year | $12,436 | $21,381 | $16,068 | 52% | 713 |
| 9 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA Public · 4-year | $15,400 | $43,400 | $24,100 | 69% | 1,831 |
| 10 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA Public · 4-year | $15,612 | $32,567 | $20,927 | 51% | 5,221 |
| 11 | University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston, MA Public · 4-year | $15,908 | $38,125 | $17,707 | 50% | 11,512 |
| 12 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA Public · 4-year | $16,966 | $36,264 | $17,163 | 67% | 11,434 |
| 13 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 4-year | $17,772 | $40,449 | $22,383 | 83% | 23,671 |
| 14 | Cambridge College Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,378 | — | $31,072 | — | 532 |
| 15 | Lasell University Newton, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,040 | — | $27,511 | 56% | 1,226 |
| 16 | Gordon College Wenham, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,700 | — | $24,883 | 68% | 1,278 |
| 17 | Lesley University Cambridge, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,256 | — | $31,152 | 60% | 1,122 |
| 18 | Fisher College Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,689 | — | $26,649 | 28% | 1,167 |
| 19 | Bay Path University Longmeadow, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,302 | — | $14,271 | 51% | 1,108 |
| 20 | Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,530 | — | $39,545 | 63% | 3,451 |
| 21 | Endicott College Beverly, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,650 | — | $40,654 | 76% | 3,125 |
| 22 | Nichols College Dudley, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $42,705 | — | $33,036 | 63% | 1,163 |
| 23 | Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $42,884 | — | $34,170 | 68% | 3,747 |
| 24 | College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $43,325 | — | $17,545 | 66% | 949 |
| 25 | American International College Springfield, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $44,230 | — | $23,274 | 44% | 1,017 |
| 26 | Anna Maria College Paxton, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $44,571 | — | $28,333 | 44% | 906 |
| 27 | Springfield College Springfield, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $45,174 | — | $30,587 | 71% | 1,751 |
| 28 | Dean College Franklin, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $46,526 | — | $30,684 | 48% | 1,089 |
| 29 | Simmons University Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $46,874 | — | $25,265 | 72% | 1,670 |
| 30 | Suffolk University Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $47,550 | — | $29,618 | 60% | 4,268 |
| 31 | Western New England University Springfield, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $47,820 | — | $27,290 | 64% | 2,603 |
| 32 | Curry College Milton, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $47,970 | — | $29,207 | 50% | 1,780 |
| 33 | Emmanuel College Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $48,550 | — | $26,706 | 67% | 1,854 |
| 34 | Regis College Weston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $49,680 | — | $27,477 | 71% | 956 |
| 35 | Assumption University Worcester, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $51,356 | — | $29,498 | 75% | 1,669 |
| 36 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $52,040 | — | $49,465 | 67% | 7,468 |
| 37 | Merrimack College North Andover, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $53,962 | — | $37,927 | 71% | 3,916 |
| 38 | Emerson College Boston, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $57,056 | — | $49,180 | 78% | 3,870 |
| 39 | Babson College Wellesley, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $57,152 | — | $40,514 | 93% | 2,728 |
| 40 | Hult International Business School Cambridge, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $57,160 | — | $45,447 | 66% | 618 |
| 41 | Stonehill College Easton, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $57,490 | — | $33,016 | 78% | 2,528 |
| 42 | Clark University Worcester, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $58,867 | — | $28,714 | 77% | 2,214 |
| 43 | Hampshire College Amherst, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $58,896 | — | $24,034 | 56% | 839 |
| 44 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $60,965 | — | $43,071 | 89% | 5,447 |
| 45 | Bentley University Waltham, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $61,000 | — | $37,930 | 88% | 4,474 |
| 46 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $61,676 | — | $19,066 | 97% | 7,601 |
| 47 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $62,396 | — | $20,111 | 96% | 4,535 |
| 48 | Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $63,960 | — | $29,822 | 74% | 1,773 |
| 49 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $64,500 | — | $38,782 | 88% | 3,106 |
| 50 | Smith College Northampton, MA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $65,178 | — | $27,579 | 89% | 2,544 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Massachusetts, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Massachusetts
Cheap colleges in Massachusetts for out-of-state students
29 schools
Community colleges in Massachusetts
16 schools
Best value colleges in Massachusetts
54 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Massachusetts
61 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Massachusetts
47 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in New York
112 schools
Cheapest colleges in Connecticut
19 schools
Cheapest colleges in California
83 schools
All 84 colleges in Massachusetts See the national version of this ranking