UMass Lowell Ranked Among 2022’s Best Colleges: U.S. News

LOWELL, MA — As colleges in Massachusetts continue to work through the academic challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, several schools were recognized this week for their steadfast dedication to providing students a quality education, including University of Massachusetts — Lowell.

U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released its 2022 Best Colleges rankings, which evaluate more than 1,400 U.S. colleges and universities on 17 different academic measures.

The purpose of the list is to provide students and their families with the necessary tools to find the right college for them.

To rank colleges, U.S. News first places each school into a category based on its mission and, in some cases, its geographic location. National universities, which focus on research and offer several doctoral programs, are ranked separately from liberal arts colleges. In its regional rankings, U.S. News only compares universities and colleges with other schools in the same group and region.

The University of Massachusetts — Lowell ranked 179 among national universities.

Data for the 2022 edition of Best Colleges was gathered in the spring and early summer of this year. U.S. News gathered data on student retention, graduation rates, graduate indebtedness, financial resources, alumni giving and more. Colleges were then ranked based on their overall scores.

UMass Lowell scored 52 out of 100 with an 85 percent first-year retention rate, a 69 percent six-year graduation rate and a 19-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio.

Read more about the 2022 Best Colleges methodology.

New this year is the Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs ranking, which looked at more than 690 schools offering Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree programs.

These Massachusetts colleges and universities were included in this year’s rankings:

Some rankings include ties.

National Universities

• Harvard University, Cambridge. Ranked 2.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Ranked 2.
• Tufts University, Medford. Ranked 28.
• Boston College. Ranked 36.
• Brandeis University, Waltham. Ranked 42.
• Boston University. Ranked 42.
• Northeastern University, Boston. Ranked 49.
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester. Ranked 63.
• University of Massachusetts — Amherst. Ranked 68.
• Clark University, Worcester. Ranked 103.
• Simmons University, Boston. Ranked 136.
• University of Massachusetts — Lowell. Ranked 179.
• Western New England University, Springfield. Ranked 213.
• University of Massachusetts — Boston. Ranked 227.
• University of Massachusetts — Dartmouth. Ranked 227.
• Lesley University, Cambridge. Ranked 249.

National Liberal Arts Colleges

• Williams College, Williamstown. Ranked 1.
• Amherst College, Amherst. Ranked 2.
• Wellesley College, Wellesley. Ranked 5.
• Smith College, Northampton. Ranked 17.
• Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley. Ranked 30.
• College of the Holy Cross, Worcester. Ranked 35.
• Wheaton College, Norton. Ranked 85.
• Stonehill College, Easton. Ranked 98.
• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams. Ranked 128.
• Hampshire College, Amherst. Ranked 141.
• Gordon College, Wenham. Ranked 158.
• Emmanuel College, Boston. Ranked 168-222.

Regional Universities (North)

• Bentley University, Waltham. Ranked 2.
• Emerson College, Boston. Ranked 8.
• Endicott College, Beverly. Ranked 23.
• Springfield College, Springfield. Ranked 27.
• Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston. Ranked 31.
• Assumption University, Worcester. Ranked 34.
• Merrimack College, North Andover. Ranked 34.
• Suffolk University, Boston. Ranked 34.
• Elms College, Chicopee. Ranked 85.
• Westfield State University, Westfield. Ranked 85.
• Bay Path University, Longmeadow. Ranked 90.
• Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater. Ranked 97.
• Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg. Ranked 97.
• Framingham State University, Framingham. Ranked 103.
• Worcester State University, Worcester. Ranked 103.
• Lasell University, Newton. Ranked 114.
• Salem State University, Salem. Ranked 123.
• Curry College, Milton. Ranked 126.
• American International College, Springfield. Ranked 131-171.
• Anna Maria College, Paxton. Ranked 131-171.
• Cambridge College, Cambridge. Ranked 131-171.

Regional Colleges (North)

• Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay. Ranked 5.
• Dean College, Franklin. Ranked 28.
• Bay State College, Boston. Ranked 38-49.
• Becker College, Worcester. Ranked 38-49.
• Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy. Ranked 38-49.
• Fisher College, Boston. Ranked 38-49.
• Bard College at Simon's Rock, Great Barrington. Unranked.

See all Massachusetts schools ranked among 2022’s Best U.S. Colleges.

Princeton University is once again No. 1 among National Universities, and Williams College remains in the top spot among National Liberal Arts Colleges.

For Top Public Schools, the University of California - Los Angeles is No. 1 among National Universities. The United States Naval Academy ranks No. 1 for Top Public Schools among National Liberal Arts Colleges.