These Are The Best MA Colleges, According To New Rankings

MASSACHUSETTS — MIT is, fittingly, the best college in Massachusetts, according to rankings released Monday by Niche, a college ranking and review platform. In all, about 100 colleges in the state were ranked among the best.

Niche said its 2024 Best Colleges Rankings reflect the declining importance of SAT and ACT scores and the increasing importance prospective students and their families place on value and economic mobility — that is, the ability of students to improve their economic status after graduation.

The platform evaluated 4,048 public and private four-year colleges nationwide and developed separate lists for the best academics value, food, dorms and college life.

The top five colleges in Massachusetts are:

1. MIT
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 4%
Net price: $31,000
SAT range: 1510-1580

2. Harvard
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 4%
Net price: $13,910
SAT range: 1480-1580

3. Williams College
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 9%
Net price: $14,487
SAT range: 1410-1550

4. Tufts University
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 11%
Net price: $31,630
SAT range: 1440-1550

5. Wellesley College
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 16%
Net price: $21,862
SAT range: 1400-1540

Other Massachusetts schools ranked by Niche are found on the website. Some other institutions in the top 25 include Clark University in Worcester, Amherst College, UMass Lowell and Emerson University.

To rank the schools, Niche analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education along with reviews and ratings from current students, alumni and parents. The new economic mobility index takes into account the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants, the net tuition price for students from low-income households and the median earnings of those students six years after they get their first post-graduation jobs.

The top schools nationwide are, respectively: Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Stanford University, Stanford, California; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Harvard University, Cambridge; and Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.

The best value colleges are, respectively, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California; Stanford University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena; and Clarmont-McKenna College. Harvard and Williams were also among the top 25 best values.