Top Rated Massachusetts Private Colleges
These are the top ranked private four-year colleges in Massachusetts. Leading the rankings for 2027 as the highest ranked private college in Massachusetts is Harvard University. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
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
Amherst College
- 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.
- SAT Range 1490-1580
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $19,049
Williams College
- 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.
- SAT Range 1490-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 8%
- Net Price $15,894
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
Smith College
- 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.
- SAT Range 1420-1540
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 21%
- Net Price $27,305
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
Mount Holyoke College
- Private 4 Year
- South Hadley, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Mount Holyoke is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, international relations, and economics. The South Hadley campus is part of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst.
- SAT Range 1380-1530
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 36%
- Net Price $32,526
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
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
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