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Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on December 15, 2017 Massachusetts has some of the best colleges in the country and several of the best schools in New England. 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 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. Amherst College Amherst College. Photo Credit: Allen Grove Location: Amherst, Massachusetts Enrollment: 1,849 (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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Amherst admissions Babson College Babson College. Tostie14 / Flickr Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts Enrollment: 3,165 (2,283 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private business school Explore the Campus: Babson College Photo Tour 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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Babson admissions Boston College Boston College Campus. Juthamas / Flickr Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Enrollment: 14,466 (9,870 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic (Jesuit) university Explore the Campus: Boston College Photo Tour 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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Boston College admissions Brandeis University Brandeis University. Mike Lovett / Wikipedia Commons Location: Waltham, Massachusetts Enrollment: 5,729 (3,608 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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Brandeis admissions College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross. GeorgeThree / Flickr Location: Worcester, Massachusetts Enrollment: 2,720 (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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Holy Cross admissions Harvard University Harvard University Statue of Charles Sumner. First Daffodils / Flikcr Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts Enrollment: 29,908 (9,915 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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Harvard admissions MIT MIT Great Dome. Dan4th / Flickr Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts Enrollment: 11,376 (4,524 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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for MIT admissions Olin College Olin College. Paul Keleher / Flickr Location: Needham, Massachusetts Enrollment: 378 (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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Olin admissions Smith College Smith College Student Center. redjar / Flickr Location: Northampton, Massachusetts Enrollment: 2,896 (2,514 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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Smith admissions Tufts University Tufts University. presta / Flickr Location: Medford, Massachusetts Enrollment: 11,489 (5,508 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private comprehensive university Explore the Campus: Tufts University Photo Tour 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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Tufts admissions Wellesley College The Tower of Green Hall at Wellesley College. Photo Credit: Allen Grove Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts Enrollment: 2,482 (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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Wellesley admissions Williams College Williams College. WalkingGeek / Flickr Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts Enrollment: 2,150 (2,093 undergraduates) Type of Institution: liberal arts college Explore the Campus: Williams College Photo Tour 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 GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Williams admissions Featured Video Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Top Massachusetts Colleges." ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/top-massachusetts-colleges-788316. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 25). Top Massachusetts Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-massachusetts-colleges-788316 Grove, Allen. "Top Massachusetts Colleges." 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