Best New England Colleges

There are 190 colleges and universities in New England enrolling 1,090,743 students. Explore the list of top colleges in New England below to begin your college search. The CollegeSimply rankings are objective and data-driven in order to help you find good matches for you. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page. Whether you're searching for a good public, private or community college, this guide to universities in New England offers a comprehensive view to the state's higher education options.

 New England is home to nationally ranked institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brown University. The highest ranked college in New England is Harvard University and the top rated public state college is University of Connecticut.

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New England Public Private For-Profit 4 Year 2 Year

List of the Best New England Colleges

  • 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.

#1 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1510-1580
  • Avg GPA 4.0
  • Acceptance Rate 4%
  • Net Price $17,525
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • New Haven, CT
  • 4.5 | 4 reviews
  • Jan 2 application deadline

Yale is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate programs in history, political science, and drama. Most undergraduates live in residential colleges that organize dining and social life.

#2 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1470-1570
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.95
  • Acceptance Rate 4%
  • Net Price $22,408
Details

  • 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.

#3 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1520-1580
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.96
  • Acceptance Rate 5%
  • Net Price $20,996
Details

  • 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.

#4 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1510-1580
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
  • Acceptance Rate 5%
  • Net Price $26,256
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Hanover, NH
  • 5.0 | 4 reviews
  • Jan 3 application deadline

Dartmouth is an Ivy League college known for undergraduate government, economics, and engineering. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Hanover.

#5 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1500-1570
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
  • Acceptance Rate 5%
  • Net Price $20,322
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Amherst, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 2 application deadline

Amherst is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, English, and political science. Students follow an open curriculum, and the campus sits in a classic New England college town.

#6 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1490-1580
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
  • Acceptance Rate 9%
  • Net Price $19,049
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Williamstown, MA
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Jan 10 application deadline

Williams is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics and Oxford-style tutorials. Most students live on the rural campus in the Berkshires town of Williamstown.

#7 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1490-1570
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
  • Acceptance Rate 8%
  • Net Price $15,894
Details

  • 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.

#8 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1460-1560
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
  • Acceptance Rate 14%
  • Net Price $22,174
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Middlebury, VT
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Middlebury is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate language study, environmental studies, and international affairs. The hillside campus sits in a small college town in Vermont's Champlain Valley.

#9 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1445-1550
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.89
  • Acceptance Rate 11%
  • Net Price $26,233
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Brunswick, ME
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 5 application deadline

Bowdoin is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate government, environmental studies, and the sciences. The historic campus sits in the coastal college town of Brunswick.

#10 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1470-1550
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 7%
  • Net Price $22,228
Details

  • 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.

#11 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1470-1560
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
  • Acceptance Rate 11%
  • Net Price $32,367
Details

  • 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.

#12 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1440-1540
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
  • Acceptance Rate 16%
  • Net Price $32,519
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Middletown, CT
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Wesleyan is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate film studies, creative writing, and music. Students live on a residential Middletown campus and follow an open curriculum with no required core courses.

#13 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1415-1540
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 16%
  • Net Price $23,025
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Waterville, ME
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Colby is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies, economics, and government. The residential campus sits on Mayflower Hill above Waterville.

#14 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1460-1550
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
  • Acceptance Rate 7%
  • Net Price $16,219
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Lewiston, ME
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Bates is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate political science, economics, and biology. Most students live on the residential campus in the small city of Lewiston.

#15 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1420-1530
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 13%
  • Net Price $24,723
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Hartford, CT
  • 5.0 | 6 reviews
  • Jan 17 application deadline

Trinity is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, political science, and economics. The historic campus occupies a compact urban site in Hartford.

#16 Best Colleges in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1298-1470
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.8
  • Acceptance Rate 29%
  • Net Price $36,071
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Northampton, MA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Smith is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, government, and the arts. Students live on a historic campus in Northampton and can cross-register through the Five College Consortium.

#17 Best Colleges in New England 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1420-1540
  • Avg GPA 4.0
  • Acceptance Rate 21%
  • Net Price $27,305
Details

  • 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.

#18 Best Colleges in New England 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1420-1530
  • Avg GPA 3.79
  • Acceptance Rate 11%
  • Net Price $24,420
Details