Best-Value Colleges in Massachusetts
29 Massachusetts 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment - 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price - among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Massachusetts is Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge - a net price of $14,815 against $143,372 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 9.7×, with a 96% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | $14,815 | $143,372 | 9.7× | 96% | $64,730 |
| 2 |  Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham, MA | $17,057 | $129,455 | 7.6× | 92% | $69,378 |
| 3 | WC Williams College Williamstown, MA | $15,157 | $88,665 | 5.8× | 97% | $72,510 |
| 4 |  Harvard University Cambridge, MA | $19,148 | $101,817 | 5.3× | 97% | $64,796 |
| 5 |  Amherst College Amherst, MA | $19,536 | $77,644 | 4.0× | 93% | $73,830 |
| 6 |  University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA | $17,362 | $64,874 | 3.7× | 70% | $17,664 |
| 7 |  Babson College Wellesley, MA | $34,096 | $123,938 | 3.6× | 92% | $58,560 |
| 8 |  Wellesley College Wellesley, MA | $23,995 | $84,803 | 3.5× | 91% | $70,144 |
| 9 |  Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA | $23,759 | $82,392 | 3.5× | 79% | $13,340 |
| 10 |  Northeastern University Boston, MA | $29,060 | $92,538 | 3.2× | 90% | $69,289 |
| 11 |  University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA | $22,857 | $71,631 | 3.1× | 83% | $18,487 |
| 12 |  Bentley University Waltham, MA | $38,969 | $120,959 | 3.1× | 88% | $63,390 |
| 13 |  Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA | $30,134 | $82,721 | 2.7× | 69% | $45,460 |
| 14 |  Simmons University Boston, MA | $23,444 | $63,494 | 2.7× | 71% | $48,240 |
| 15 |  Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA | $38,930 | $103,937 | 2.7× | 91% | $73,508 |
| 16 |  Assumption University Worcester, MA | $28,788 | $74,895 | 2.6× | 75% | $53,420 |
| 17 |  Brandeis University Waltham, MA | $30,606 | $77,231 | 2.5× | 86% | $70,957 |
| 18 |  Emmanuel College Boston, MA | $27,196 | $68,245 | 2.5× | 66% | $50,694 |
| 19 |  Smith College Northampton, MA | $25,519 | $64,027 | 2.5× | 90% | $67,448 |
| 20 |  Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA | $43,885 | $103,470 | 2.4× | 88% | $63,246 |
| 21 |  College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA | $38,829 | $90,543 | 2.3× | 90% | $68,090 |
| 22 |  Boston University Boston, MA | $36,503 | $83,238 | 2.3× | 90% | $71,372 |
| 23 |  Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton, MA | $31,147 | $67,725 | 2.2× | 76% | $65,700 |
| 24 |  Stonehill College Easton, MA | $36,082 | $77,745 | 2.2× | 81% | $59,300 |
| 25 |  Tufts University Medford, MA | $38,797 | $83,214 | 2.1× | 93% | $73,616 |
| 26 |  Clark University Worcester, MA | $29,446 | $62,381 | 2.1× | 77% | $61,140 |
| 27 |  Merrimack College North Andover, MA | $39,219 | $75,584 | 1.9× | 72% | $55,852 |
| 28 |  Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA | $30,861 | $58,418 | 1.9× | 85% | $68,054 |
| 29 |  Emerson College Boston, MA | $49,215 | $62,832 | 1.3× | 79% | $59,044 |
How we ranked this
From every Massachusetts four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price - the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys - highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Massachusetts?+
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge has the highest return on investment among Massachusetts 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $14,815 against $143,372 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 9.7× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) - with a 96% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance - a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Massachusetts four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.