Cheap Colleges in Massachusetts for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $8,938 and $43,400 a year in tuition and fees at the 29 public colleges and universities we rank in Massachusetts, a gap of $34,462 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $12,120, $666 (5%) below the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $6,732, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $5,388 here, a ratio of 1.8 to 1.
Quincy College ranks first at $8,938, ahead of Massasoit Community College ($10,320) and Bristol Community College ($10,776).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-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 out-of-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 29
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- 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 all 29 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Quincy College Quincy, MA Public · 4-year | $8,938 | $8,938 | $17,126 | 16% | 2,300 |
| 2 | Massasoit Community College Brockton, MA Public · 2-year | $10,320 | $5,376 | $8,460 | 21% | 4,235 |
| 3 | Bristol Community College Fall River, MA Public · 2-year | $10,776 | $5,832 | $5,547 | 22% | 6,083 |
| 4 | Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills, MA Public · 2-year | $10,800 | $5,856 | $7,169 | 16% | 3,837 |
| 5 | North Shore Community College Danvers, MA Public · 2-year | $10,920 | $5,352 | $9,000 | 18% | 4,393 |
| 6 | Holyoke Community College Holyoke, MA Public · 2-year | $10,932 | $5,988 | $8,068 | 31% | 3,591 |
| 7 | Cape Cod Community College West Barnstable, MA Public · 2-year | $10,944 | $6,000 | $8,296 | 22% | 2,911 |
| 8 | Mount Wachusett Community College Gardner, MA Public · 2-year | $11,080 | $6,160 | $7,931 | 27% | 3,059 |
| 9 | Bunker Hill Community College Boston, MA Public · 2-year | $11,112 | $6,168 | $7,818 | 16% | 8,612 |
| 10 | Springfield Technical Community College Springfield, MA Public · 2-year | $11,112 | $5,904 | $5,662 | 29% | 4,759 |
| 11 | Quinsigamond Community College Worcester, MA Public · 2-year | $11,206 | $6,262 | $9,090 | 21% | 6,447 |
| 12 | Roxbury Community College Roxbury Crossing, MA Public · 2-year | $11,328 | $6,024 | $12,244 | 17% | 1,977 |
| 13 | Berkshire Community College Pittsfield, MA Public · 2-year | $11,468 | $6,164 | $9,921 | 21% | 1,358 |
| 14 | Greenfield Community College Greenfield, MA Public · 2-year | $11,930 | $5,810 | $7,679 | 26% | 1,395 |
| 15 | Middlesex Community College Bedford, MA Public · 2-year | $12,120 | $6,048 | $2,624 | 23% | 5,412 |
| 16 | Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, MA Public · 2-year | $12,516 | $6,732 | $6,046 | 20% | 3,685 |
| 17 | Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA Public · 4-year | $17,426 | $11,346 | $14,262 | 54% | 2,752 |
| 18 | Worcester State University Worcester, MA Public · 4-year | $17,866 | $11,786 | $13,381 | 58% | 3,930 |
| 19 | Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA Public · 4-year | $17,948 | $11,808 | $16,383 | 54% | 7,829 |
| 20 | Framingham State University Framingham, MA Public · 4-year | $18,000 | $11,920 | $16,114 | 49% | 2,566 |
| 21 | Westfield State University Westfield, MA Public · 4-year | $18,259 | $12,179 | $16,721 | 55% | 3,615 |
| 22 | Salem State University Salem, MA Public · 4-year | $19,531 | $12,338 | $15,996 | 52% | 4,291 |
| 23 | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, MA Public · 4-year | $21,381 | $12,436 | $16,068 | 52% | 713 |
| 24 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA Public · 4-year | $23,722 | $11,420 | $21,582 | 77% | 1,395 |
| 25 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA Public · 4-year | $32,567 | $15,612 | $20,927 | 51% | 5,221 |
| 26 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA Public · 4-year | $36,264 | $16,966 | $17,163 | 67% | 11,434 |
| 27 | University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston, MA Public · 4-year | $38,125 | $15,908 | $17,707 | 50% | 11,512 |
| 28 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 4-year | $40,449 | $17,772 | $22,383 | 83% | 23,671 |
| 29 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA Public · 4-year | $43,400 | $15,400 | $24,100 | 69% | 1,831 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Massachusetts
Cheapest colleges in Massachusetts
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Community colleges in Massachusetts
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Best value colleges in Massachusetts
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Highest graduate earnings in Massachusetts
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Most affordable private colleges in Massachusetts
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Same list in nearby states
Cheap colleges in New York for out-of-state students
74 schools
Cheap colleges in California for out-of-state students
121 schools
Cheap colleges in Texas for out-of-state students
77 schools
All 84 colleges in Massachusetts See the national version of this ranking