Colleges in Massachusetts: acceptance rates and cost
Of the 8 Massachusetts colleges with a page here, Harvard accepted 3.5% of applicants for fall 2023, the most selective figure in the group.
For movement over time, Boston University saw the largest swing, its admit rate falling from 45.6% in fall 2013 to 10.8% in fall 2023, a drop of 34.8 percentage points.
For students coming from another state, the cheapest option is UMass Boston, where out-of-state tuition and fees come to $39,365 for 2025-26; residents of Massachusetts pay $16,558.
Measured by net price, Harvard had the lowest average net price for families earning $0 to $30,000, $2,542 a year in 2024-25, against tuition and fees of $64,796 before aid.
More students applied to Northeastern than anywhere else here, 96,631 for fall 2023, up 104% from fall 2013.
Beyond the colleges listed here, the median admit rate across 62 Massachusetts bachelor's colleges was 72.4% for fall 2023, and the median out-of-state tuition at the state's 13 public bachelor's colleges is $21,693 for 2025-26.
Massachusetts colleges on AdmitFacts
| College | Admit rate, fall 2023 |
|---|---|
| Harvard | 3.5% |
| Boston University | 10.8% |
| Northeastern | 5.6% |
| MIT | 4.7% |
| UMass Amherst | 57.8% |
| Tufts | 10.1% |
| UMass Boston | 83.0% |
| Boston College | 15.7% |
Admit rates: IPEDS fall 2023. Tuition and fees: College Scorecard 2025-26; private colleges charge every student the same. Graduation within 6 years: College Scorecard, students who started in 2019. Net price for families earning $0 to $30,000: College Scorecard 2024-25, students with federal aid. State medians cover every operating bachelor's-degree college in the Scorecard file.
Every state median in the summary, with its source field
| Figure | Value | File, field, year |
|---|---|---|
| Median admit rate, Massachusetts (N = 62) | 72.4% | IPEDS ADM2023, median ADMSSN/APPLCN, bachelor's institutions, fall 2023 |
| Median out-of-state tuition and fees, public colleges, Massachusetts (N = 13) | $21,693 | College Scorecard, median TUITIONFEE_OUT, public bachelor's institutions, 2025-26 |