Massachusetts Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 60 private colleges in Massachusetts with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Harvard University leads the list by accepting 4% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of Massachusetts Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College	Acceptance Rate
Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts	4%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts	5%
Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts	5%
Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts	8%
Amherst College Amherst, Massachusetts	9%
Boston University Boston, Massachusetts	11%
Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts	11%
Wellesley College Wellesley, Massachusetts	14%
Boston College Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	16%
Babson College Wellesley, Massachusetts	17%
College of the Holy Cross Worcester, Massachusetts	18%
Smith College Northampton, Massachusetts	21%
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham, Massachusetts	25%
Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, Massachusetts	36%
Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts	40%
Clark University Worcester, Massachusetts	40%
The New England Conservatory of Music Boston, Massachusetts	41%
Berklee College of Music Boston, Massachusetts	44%

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.