Public universities in Massachusetts
The College Scorecard lists 14 public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher in Massachusetts, all compared on this page. Together they enroll 80,760 undergraduate degree-seeking students. The median average net price is $17,362 a year, higher than the $14,226 median for public universities nationwide. Former students' median earnings 10 years after starting college are $63,428 at the median institution, higher than the $58,635 median for public universities nationwide. The median graduation rate is 52.1%.
Compare all public universities in Massachusetts on one chart
Pick any two measures. Hover a dot to see the school; click it to open the school's page.
Each dot is one school. Dashed lines mark the median for Massachusetts. Showing 13 of 14 public universities in Massachusetts; schools missing either value are left out.
All 14 public universities in Massachusetts
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst | 23,671 | $22,857 | $18,487 | $41,759 | $80,486 | $21,500 | 81.2% | 91.9% | 59.7% |
| University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston | 11,512 | $22,548 | $16,558 | $39,365 | $70,597 | $22,089 | 51.1% | 70.4% | 83.8% |
| University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell | 11,434 | $17,362 | $17,664 | $37,460 | $77,989 | $23,250 | 68.7% | 84.0% | 83.0% |
| Bridgewater State University Bridgewater | 7,829 | $18,061 | $12,194 | $18,334 | $61,441 | $23,465 | 52.1% | 75.1% | 87.8% |
| University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth | 5,221 | $20,319 | $16,233 | $33,782 | $68,878 | $25,000 | 49.2% | 63.6% | 90.6% |
| Salem State University Salem | 4,291 | $12,921 | $12,708 | $20,117 | $62,762 | $22,250 | 48.9% | 75.3% | 95.9% |
| Worcester State University Worcester | 3,930 | $13,866 | $12,344 | $18,424 | $65,784 | $19,223 | 57.1% | 78.1% | 88.0% |
| Westfield State University Westfield | 3,615 | $16,484 | $12,616 | $18,696 | $63,082 | $20,510 | 48.6% | 73.9% | 81.4% |
| Fitchburg State University Fitchburg | 2,752 | $13,803 | $11,886 | $17,966 | $63,428 | $20,615 | 52.8% | 69.5% | 86.9% |
| Framingham State University Framingham | 2,566 | $15,951 | $12,220 | $18,300 | $63,249 | $24,000 | 45.6% | 71.0% | 83.6% |
| Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston | 1,831 | $26,397 | $15,860 | $44,700 | $52,923 | $23,607 | 58.7% | 89.1% | 76.3% |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay | 1,395 | $23,759 | $13,340 | $26,010 | $104,098 | $25,000 | 73.5% | 86.8% | 94.7% |
| Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams | 713 | $11,402 | $12,748 | $21,693 | $52,507 | $21,500 | 46.6% | 75.7% | 89.7% |
| University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School Worcester | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Quick facts: public universities in Massachusetts
- How many public universities are in Massachusetts?
- The College Scorecard lists 14 public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher in Massachusetts.
- What do public universities in Massachusetts cost?
- Across the 13 schools that report it, the median average net price is $17,362 a year. Net price is what full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid pay after grants and scholarships. Reported net prices range from $11,402 at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to $26,397 at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
- Which public universities in Massachusetts have the lowest average net price?
- By reported average net price: Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts ($11,402), Salem State University ($12,921), Fitchburg State University ($13,803), Worcester State University ($13,866), and Framingham State University ($15,951).
- How much is in-state and out-of-state tuition at public universities in Massachusetts?
- The median published in-state tuition is $12,748 a year, and the median out-of-state tuition is $21,693. Many students pay less than published tuition after aid.
- How much do former students of public universities in Massachusetts earn?
- At the median institution, former students who received federal aid earn $63,428 10 years after starting college (13 institutions reporting; branch campuses share one figure and count once). The highest reported medians are at Massachusetts Maritime Academy ($104,098), University of Massachusetts-Amherst ($80,486), and University of Massachusetts-Lowell ($77,989).
- What is the graduation rate at public universities in Massachusetts?
- The median graduation rate is 52.1%, across 13 schools reporting. It counts full-time, first-time students who finished within 150% of normal time.
- How much student debt do graduates of public universities in Massachusetts have?
- The median institution's graduates leave with $22,250 in federal student loans (the median balance). Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
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Other college types in Massachusetts
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How these numbers work
This page includes public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher, as reported in the College Scorecard. Summary figures are medians across schools: each school counts once, whatever its size, and schools that don't report a measure are left out of that measure. The Scorecard reports earnings and debt for a whole institution, so branch campuses share one figure; for those two measures each institution counts once. Most recent data year: cost 2025, graduation and retention 2025, earnings 2022, debt 2024. More on the data.