Resources › For Students and Parents Top Massachusetts Colleges Share Flipboard Email Print For Students and Parents College Admissions College Rankings College Admissions Process College Profiles Choosing A College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Extracurricular Activities Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More by Allen Grove Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Updated 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, MassachusettsEnrollment: 1,849 (all undergraduate)Type of Institution: private liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 requirementsFor more information and admissions data, visit the Amherst College profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Amherst admissions Babson College Babson College. Tostie14 / Flickr Location: Wellesley, MassachusettsEnrollment: 3,165 (2,283 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private business schoolExplore the Campus: Babson College Photo TourDistinctions: 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 designFor more information and admissions data, visit the Babson College profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Babson admissions Boston College Boston College Campus. Juthamas / Flickr Location: Chestnut Hill, MassachusettsEnrollment: 14,466 (9,870 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private Catholic (Jesuit) universityExplore the Campus: Boston College Photo TourDistinctions: 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 BostonFor more information and admissions data, visit the Boston College profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Boston College admissions Brandeis University Brandeis University. Mike Lovett / Wikipedia Commons Location: Waltham, MassachusettsEnrollment: 5,729 (3,608 undergraduates)Type of Institution: small private research universityDistinctions: 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 BostonFor more information and admissions data, visit the Brandeis University profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Brandeis admissions College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross. GeorgeThree / Flickr Location: Worcester, MassachusettsEnrollment: 2,720 (all undergraduate)Type of Institution: private liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 rateFor more information and admissions data, visit the College of the Holy Cross profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Holy Cross admissions Harvard University Harvard University Statue of Charles Sumner. First Daffodils / Flikcr Location: Cambridge, MassachusettsEnrollment: 29,908 (9,915 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private research universityView the Harvard University photo tourDistinctions: 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 aidFor more information and admissions data, visit the Harvard University profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Harvard admissions MIT MIT Great Dome. Dan4th / Flickr Location: Cambridge, MassachusettsEnrollment: 11,376 (4,524 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private university with science and engineering focusDistinctions: 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 skylineFor more information and admissions data, visit the MIT profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for MIT admissions Olin College Olin College. Paul Keleher / Flickr Location: Needham, MassachusettsEnrollment: 378 (all undergraduate)Type of Institution: undergraduate engineering collegeDistinctions: 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 interactionFor more information and admissions data, visit the Olin College profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Olin admissions Smith College Smith College Student Center. redjar / Flickr Location: Northampton, MassachusettsEnrollment: 2,896 (2,514 undergraduates)Type of Institution: women's liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 speciesFor more information and admissions data, visit the Smith College profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Smith admissions Tufts University Tufts University. presta / Flickr Location: Medford, MassachusettsEnrollment: 11,489 (5,508 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private comprehensive universityExplore the Campus: Tufts University Photo TourDistinctions: 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 BostonFor more information and admissions data, visit the Tufts University profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Tufts admissions Wellesley College The Tower of Green Hall at Wellesley College. Photo Credit: Allen Grove Location: Wellesley, MassachusettsEnrollment: 2,482 (all undergraduate)Type of Institution: private women's liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 lakeFor more information and admissions data, visit the Wellesley College profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Wellesley admissions Williams College Williams College. WalkingGeek / Flickr Location: Williamstown, MassachusettsEnrollment: 2,150 (2,093 undergraduates)Type of Institution: liberal arts collegeExplore the Campus: Williams College Photo TourDistinctions: 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 workFor more information and admissions data, visit the Williams College profileGPA, SAT and ACT graph for Williams admissions Continue Reading