The Top 50 Best Colleges in the US is College Raptor’s most prestigious rankings list. Updated annually, these schools are celebrated for their rich histories, stunning campuses, excellent academics, and vibrant student life. The institutions on this list are known for both academic excellence and impressive extracurricular opportunities, making them “dream schools” for students around the world. Use these rankings as a jumping-off point for you to create your own personalized rankings using our college match tool.
Each of these rankings is based on an analysis of data about the school’s selectivity, financial health, graduation rates, student success, and more. We’ve outlined our full methodology here.
| Rank | Institution | Undergraduates | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Your Est. Net Price Avg. Net Price | Median Starting Salary | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | 7038 | 3.65 | 1,510 – 1,590 | 17900 | 99572 |
#1
Harvard University
|
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4576 | 4.85 | 1,510 – 1,590 | 21519 | 131633 |
#2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
|
| 3 | Williams College | 2101 | 8.25 | 1,500 – 1,560 | 16988 | 71754 |
#3
Williams College
|
| 4 | Amherst College | 1914 | 9.01 | 1,480 – 1,570 | 17965 | 62537 |
#4
Amherst College
|
| 5 | Wellesley College | 2407 | 14.05 | 1,460 – 1,560 | 21501 | 65961 |
Wellesley College
|
| 6 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | 402 | 23.81 | 1,490 – 1,560 | 40370 | 105483 |
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
|
| 7 | Tufts University | 7126 | 11.53 | 1,470 – 1,560 | 33333 | 68337 |
#7
Tufts University
|
| 8 | Boston College | 9654 | 16.19 | 1,450 – 1,540 | 32590 | 85717 |
Boston College
|
| 9 | Babson College | 2793 | 17.09 | 1,400 – 1,530 | 30220 | 60556 |
Babson College
|
| 10 | Smith College | 2549 | 21 | 1,430 – 1,540 | 27823 | 45731 |
Smith College
|
| 11 | Boston University | 18805 | 11.11 | 1,430 – 1,530 | 27551 | 65655 |
Boston University
|
| 12 | College of the Holy Cross | 3107 | 17.61 | 1,260 – 1,420 | 35455 | 69984 |
College of the Holy Cross
|
| 13 | Brandeis University | 3632 | 40.51 | 1,400 – 1,520 | 44668 | 52967 |
#13
Brandeis University
|
| 14 | Bentley University | 4526 | 45.05 | 1,290 – 1,430 | 43858 | 86679 |
#14
Bentley University
|
| 15 | Mount Holyoke College | 2178 | 36.03 | 1,390 – 1,540 | 35782 | 48590 |
#15
Mount Holyoke College
|
| 16 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 5558 | 60.16 | 1,200 – 1,390 | 47799 | 85038 |
#16
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
|
| 17 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 23920 | 59.73 | 1,310 – 1,500 | 22954 | 60347 |
#17
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
|
| 18 | Clark University | 2266 | 39.54 | 1,310 – 1,460 | 32767 | 49022 | |
| 19 | Emerson College | 4171 | 47.49 | 1,270 – 1,410 | 50703 | 42799 |
Emerson College
|
| 20 | Stonehill College | 2515 | 72.56 | 1,180 – 1,310 | 31134 | 63285 |
#20
Stonehill College
|
| 21 | Endicott College | 3176 | 72.29 | 1,140 – 1,290 | 39988 | 57286 |
Endicott College
|
| 22 | Northeastern University | 22695 | 5.22 | 1,450 – 1,540 | 34770 | 78413 |
Northeastern University
|
| 23 | Wheaton College (Massachusetts) | 1749 | 71.33 | 1,150 – 1,320 | 31638 | 51607 |
#23
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
|
| 24 | The New England Conservatory of Music | 412 | 37.55 | 830 – 830 | 49544 | 18830 | |
| 25 | Simmons University | 1760 | 66 | 1,190 – 1,370 | 29575 | 61420 |
Simmons University
|
| 26 | Springfield College | 1764 | 71.89 | 1,080 – 1,330 | 29198 | 43692 |
Springfield College
|
| 27 | Gordon College | 1314 | 85.62 | 1,150 – 1,370 | 25250 | 45839 |
#27
Gordon College
|
| 28 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 3965 | 91.21 | 1,130 – 1,330 | 35585 | 71868 |
Wentworth Institute of Technology
|
| 29 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | 1407 | 72.07 | 1,040 – 1,200 | 20759 | 80424 |
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
|
| 30 | Assumption University | 1713 | 82.98 | 990 – 1,180 | 29072 | 46029 |
Assumption University
|
| 31 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design | 1871 | 76.27 | 990 – 1,180 | 24159 | 27090 |
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
|
| 32 | Emmanuel College | 1909 | 75.65 | 1,170 – 1,340 | 33214 | 50180 |
Emmanuel College
|
| 33 | Merrimack College | 4199 | 73.61 | 1,050 – 1,180 | 38849 | 54316 |
Merrimack College
|
| 34 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 12122 | 82.96 | 1,190 – 1,380 | 17624 | 61467 |
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
|
| 35 | MCPHS University | 3477 | 85.21 | 1,090 – 1,320 | 37182 | 77171 |
MCPHS University
|
| 36 | College of Our Lady of the Elms | 1002 | 88.82 | 1,150 – 1,320 | 22311 | 54087 |
College of Our Lady of the Elms
|
| 37 | Western New England University | 2616 | 83.48 | 1,090 – 1,310 | 31548 | 51771 |
Western New England University
|
| 38 | Montserrat College of Art | 227 | 79.21 | 850 – 850 | 35885 | 24780 |
Montserrat College of Art
|
| 39 | Hampshire College | 844 | 75.28 | 1,160 – 1,350 | 27556 | 22195 |
Hampshire College
|
| 40 | Lasell University | 1293 | 92.7 | 1,020 – 1,260 | 28477 | 45468 |
Lasell University
|
| 41 | Suffolk University | 4324 | 82.2 | 1,110 – 1,310 | 33089 | 55856 |
Suffolk University
|
| 42 | Regis College | 1055 | 90.09 | 860 – 1,070 | 30212 | 56223 |
#42
Regis College
|
| 43 | Lesley University | 1342 | 94.42 | 1,040 – 1,240 | 33111 | 40150 |
Lesley University
|
| 44 | Worcester State University | 4892 | 87.99 | 1,050 – 1,230 | 14307 | 50233 |
Worcester State University
|
| 45 | Nichols College | 1152 | 88.14 | 960 – 1,180 | 31032 | 47830 |
Nichols College
|
| 46 | Bridgewater State University | 8172 | 89.19 | 1,040 – 1,230 | 16230 | 46673 |
Bridgewater State University
|
| 47 | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts | 836 | 92.35 | 960 – 1,180 | 17705 | 36803 |
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
|
| 48 | Salem State University | 4853 | 95.57 | 1,020 – 1,180 | 19324 | 48209 |
Salem State University
|
| 49 | Westfield State University | 3868 | 86.71 | 1,000 – 1,210 | 17723 | 46861 |
Westfield State University
|
| 50 | Curry College | 1818 | 92.05 | 1,090 – 1,170 | 30367 | 46746 |
Curry College
|
| 51 | Berklee College of Music | 7549 | 43.53 | -- | 48608 | 26462 |
Berklee College of Music
|
| 52 | Fitchburg State University | 3027 | 86.93 | 1,070 – 1,230 | 15820 | 41999 |
#52
Fitchburg State University
|
| 53 | Bay Path University | 1278 | 73.81 | 1,040 – 1,180 | 14935 | 51548 |
Bay Path University
|
| 54 | Framingham State University | 2817 | 84.91 | 1,030 – 1,220 | 16640 | 46611 |
Framingham State University
|
| 55 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 5731 | 90.64 | 1,070 – 1,280 | 20696 | 51475 |
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
|
| 56 | University of Massachusetts-Boston | 12234 | 82.96 | 1,090 – 1,300 | 17554 | 53521 |
University of Massachusetts-Boston
|
| 57 | Dean College | 1151 | 73.6 | 920 – 1,110 | 31472 | 30046 |
Dean College
|
| 58 | Eastern Nazarene College | 379 | 58.96 | 890 – 1,180 | 21370 | 43488 |
Eastern Nazarene College
|
| 59 | American International College | 1331 | 96.9 | 930 – 1,110 | 21454 | 41451 |
#59
American International College
|
| 60 | Anna Maria College | 995 | 89.6 | 890 – 1,080 | 28732 | 63110 |
Anna Maria College
|
| 61 | Fisher College | 1384 | 70.75 | 820 – 1,100 | 27827 | 44366 |
Fisher College
|
| 62 | Boston Architectural College | 306 | 49.92 | -- | 37565 | 58619 |
Boston Architectural College
|
| 63 | Hult International Business School | 694 | 53.35 | -- | 51986 | 53519 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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