Best Boston Colleges
19 ranked colleges are in Boston, and 84 within 50 miles enrolling 440,904 students combined.
Harvard University in Cambridge ranks #4 nationally and leads the Boston area. Boston University enrolls the most students with 37,737 currently taking classes. North Shore Community College has the lowest tuition at $5,352 per year.
Filter by type: public, private, 4-year, public 4-year, community, and junior colleges near Boston.
Harvard University
- Private 4 Year
- Cambridge, MA
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Harvard is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate economics, government, and the sciences. Most upperclass students live in residential houses that organize dining and social life.
- SAT Range 1510-1580
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 4%
- Net Price $17,525
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Cambridge, MA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
MIT is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences. The compact urban campus sits along the Charles River in Cambridge.
- SAT Range 1520-1580
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.96
- Acceptance Rate 5%
- Net Price $20,996
Brown University
- Private 4 Year
- Providence, RI
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 5 application deadline
Brown is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate economics, computer science, and the biological sciences. Most students design their own path under the Open Curriculum, which has no required core.
- SAT Range 1510-1580
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 5%
- Net Price $26,256
Wellesley College
- Private 4 Year
- Wellesley, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 8 application deadline
Wellesley is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in a Boston suburb about twelve miles west of the city.
- SAT Range 1460-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 14%
- Net Price $22,174
Tufts University
- Private 4 Year
- Medford, MA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Tufts is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate international relations and biology. Most undergrads live on a residential hilltop campus in the Boston suburbs of Medford and Somerville.
- SAT Range 1470-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
- Acceptance Rate 11%
- Net Price $32,367
Boston College
- Private 4 Year
- Chestnut Hill, MA
-
5.0 | 5 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Boston College is a highly selective private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and the liberal arts. The residential campus sits in suburban Chestnut Hill just outside Boston.
- SAT Range 1440-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 16%
- Net Price $32,519
Boston University
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
3.4 | 11 reviews
- Jan 4 application deadline
Boston University is a private university known for undergraduate communications, business, and international relations. The urban campus stretches along Commonwealth Avenue beside the Charles River.
- SAT Range 1420-1530
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 11%
- Net Price $24,420
College of the Holy Cross
- Private 4 Year
- Worcester, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Holy Cross is a highly selective Jesuit liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and history. The hilltop campus overlooks the city of Worcester.
- SAT Range 1240-1410
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 18%
- Net Price $36,014
Brandeis University
- Private 4 Year
- Waltham, MA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Brandeis is a private university known for undergraduate neuroscience, biology, and the social sciences. The suburban campus in Waltham sits just west of Boston.
- SAT Range 1390-1520
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $43,550
Rhode Island School of Design
- Private 4 Year
- Providence, RI
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
RISD is a highly selective private art and design college known for undergraduate fine arts, industrial design, and architecture. The urban Providence campus borders Brown University and offers a dual-degree program with it.
- SAT Range 1396-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 19%
- Net Price $43,492
Bentley University
- Private 4 Year
- Waltham, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Bentley is a private university known for undergraduate business, accounting, and finance. The suburban campus sits in Waltham just west of Boston.
- SAT Range 1280-1430
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $45,802
Babson College
- Private 4 Year
- Wellesley, MA
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 3 application deadline
Babson is a private college known for undergraduate entrepreneurship and business. The suburban campus is in Wellesley near Boston.
- SAT Range 1390-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 17%
- Net Price $32,019
Simmons University
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Simmons is a private women's university known for undergraduate nursing, social work, and health sciences. The urban campus sits in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1220-1390
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $28,691
Providence College
- Private 4 Year
- Providence, RI
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Providence College is a private Dominican Catholic college known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in a Providence neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1250-1390
- Avg GPA 3.47
- Acceptance Rate 51%
- Net Price $48,618
Northeastern University
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
4.7 | 6 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Northeastern is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and health sciences. The urban campus sits in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1440-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
- Acceptance Rate 5%
- Net Price $34,207
Clark University
- Private 4 Year
- Worcester, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Clark is a private university known for undergraduate psychology and geography. The compact urban campus sits in Worcester, west of Boston.
- SAT Range 1288-1460
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $33,865
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
- Private 4 Year
- Norton, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Wheaton is a private liberal arts college known for its interdisciplinary Connections curriculum and frequent dual majors. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the small town of Norton southeast of Boston.
- SAT Range 1220-1390
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $30,701
MCPHS University
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
| 0 reviews
MCPHS is a private university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and health sciences. The urban campus sits in Boston's Longwood Medical Area.
- SAT Range 1160-1416
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $41,506