Top Ranked Colleges: Universities | Public Universities | Liberal Arts Colleges | Engineering | Business | Women's | Most Selective
Massachusetts has some of the best colleges in the country. Harvard often tops the lists of best universities, and both Amherst and Williams have found themselves on top of rankings for liberal arts colleges. MIT and Olin win top marks for engineering. The 12 top colleges listed below vary so much in size and type of school that I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking.
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Amherst College
Amherst Chapel
- Location: Amherst, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 1,697 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
- Distinctions: one of the country's top liberal arts colleges; one of the most selective colleges; 8 to 1 student / faculty ratio; member of the five-college consortium; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; unusual open curriculum with no distribution requirements
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Amherst College profile
Babson College
Tostie14 / Flickr
- Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 3,439 (1,851 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private business school
- Distinctions: highly regarded undergraduate business program; curriculum emphasizes leadership and entrepreneurship; year-long first-year course in which students develop, launch and liquidate a for-profit business of their own design
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Babson College profile
Boston College
Juthamas / Flickr
- Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 14,836 (9,913 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private Catholic (Jesuit) university
- Distinctions: one of the country's top Catholic colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; Eagles compete in the NCAA Division 1-A Atlantic Coast Conference; rich history dating to 1863; partnership with beautiful St. Ignatius Church; easy access to Boston
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Boston College profile
Brandeis University
Mike Lovett / Wikipedia Commons
- Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 5,327 (3,196 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: small private research university
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; member of the Association of American Universities for research strengths; 8 to 1 student / faculty ratio; easy access to Boston
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Brandeis University profile
College of the Holy Cross
GeorgeThree / Flickr
- Location: Worcester, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 2,898 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
- Distinctions: one of the country's best liberal arts colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; one of the country's top Catholic colleges; high graduation rate
- For more information and admissions data, visit the College of the Holy Cross profile
Harvard University
First Daffodils / Flikcr
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 26,496 (10,156 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private research university
- View the Harvard University photo tour
- Distinctions: member of the Ivy League; often ranked #1 or #2 of all schools in the U.S.; member of the Association of American Universities for research strengths; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; #1 of the country's most selective colleges; largest endowment of any U.S. university; excellent financial aid
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Harvard University profile
MIT
Dan4th / Flickr
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 10,299 (4,153 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private university with science and engineering focus
- Distinctions: often ranked #1 among the top engineering schools in the U.S.; member of the Association of American Universities for research strengths; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; riverfront campus with views of the Boston skyline
- For more information and admissions data, visit the MIT profile
Olin College
Paul Keleher / Flickr
- Location: Needham, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 308 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: undergraduate engineering college
- Distinctions: one of the top undergraduate engineering colleges in the U.S.; all enrolled students receive significant grant aid; project-based, student-centered curriculum; lots of student and faculty interaction
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Olin College profile
Smith College
redjar / Flickr
- Location: Northampton, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 3,101 (2,610 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: women's liberal arts college
- Distinctions: one of the top women's colleges in the U.S.; member of the five college consortium; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; historic campus includes the 12,000 square foot Lyman Conservatory and the Botanic Garden with about 10,000 different plant species
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Smith College profile
Tufts University
presta / Flickr
- Location: Medford, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 10,030 (5,044 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private comprehensive university
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary learning; high percentage of students study abroad; located about 5 miles from Boston
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Tufts University profile
Wellesley College
Photo Credit: Allen Grove
- Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 2,498 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: private women's liberal arts college
- Distinctions: often ranks #1 among top women's colleges; one of the top liberal arts colleges; exchange programs with Harvard and MIT; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; beautiful campus with Gothic architecture and a picturesque lake
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Wellesley College profile
Williams College
WalkingGeek / Flickr
- Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 2,072 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: liberal arts college
- Distinctions: one of the country's top liberal arts colleges; 7 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; unique tutorial program in which students meet with faculty in pairs to present and critique each other’s work
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Williams College profile
