A Complete Guide to Colleges in Boston
Updated January 3, 2024 · 4 Min Read
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10 Popular Colleges in Boston
The Boston metropolitan area is home to more than 60 nonprofit four-year colleges and universities. We've compiled a list of all Boston colleges and highlighted 10 of the most popular schools based on factors such as student enrollment, prestige, and overall reputation.
All school data below comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Tuition and fees are from 2022-2023, while acceptance rates, enrollment statistics, net prices, and number of applicants are from 2021.
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1. Boston University
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $62,360
- Acceptance Rate: 19%
- Total Student Enrollment: 36,104
BU is a private research university in the Fenway-Kenmore and Allston neighborhoods. Its urban campus is one of Boston's busiest thoroughfares, full of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.
BU's School of Music and School of Law are among the best in the country. Despite its large enrollment, the university has a surprisingly small 11-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of just 30 students.
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2. Harvard University
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $57,261
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- Total Student Enrollment: 31,345
Located in the Boston suburb of Cambridge, Harvard is one of the world's most prestigious and recognizable institutions. The school is highly regarded in many undergraduate and graduate disciplines, including law, biology, and philosophy.
Harvard has three campuses: a main campus with 209 acres centered on Harvard Yard, a campus in the Boston neighborhood of Allston, and a medical campus in the Longwood Medical Area.
Built in 1673, Harvard Yard is the oldest part of the campus and its most iconic location.
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3. Boston College
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $64,176
- Acceptance Rate: 19%
- Total Student Enrollment: 15,577
A private Jesuit university, BC is Boston's oldest institution of higher education. Founded in 1863, the school is recognized for its liberal arts, scientific inquiry, and holistic education.
BC is set on a quiet hilltop in Chestnut Hill, and it is primarily a residential campus. It has a small-town atmosphere, but students have easy access to Boston's city center, just 10 miles away.
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4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $57,986
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- Total Student Enrollment: 11,934
A world-renowned tech school, MIT is a private research university credited with pushing many modern technological and scientific developments. Located in Cambridge, MIT is best known for its engineering and physical sciences programs.
MIT's polytechnic university model is European-style and focuses on laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering. Its urban campus sits along the north bank of the Charles River, not far from Harvard.
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5. Tufts University
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $65,222
- Acceptance Rate: 11%
- Total Student Enrollment: 13,293
Originally a small liberal arts college, Tufts has grown to become one of the top research universities in the country. Its main campus in Medford and Somerville lies about 5 miles north of Boston.
Tufts is home to one of America's oldest and highest-ranking graduate schools for international affairs. The mid-sized university is also known for its interdisciplinary approach to the arts and sciences.
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6. Northeastern University
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $60,192
- Acceptance Rate: 18%
- Total Student Enrollment: 28,167
Northeastern is a private research university a stone's throw from downtown Boston. Its main campus is in the Fenway Cultural District, with nearby tourist attractions like the Museum of Fine Arts and the Christian Science Center.
Experiential learning is a cornerstone for Northeastern undergraduates, where students gain real-world experience while working toward their degrees. The university's co-op program is one of the largest in the world.
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7. University of Massachusetts Boston
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $15,132 (in-state) | $36,105 (out-of-state)
- Acceptance Rate: 79%
- Total Student Enrollment: 15,637
UMass Boston is the city's only public university and the most diverse research institution in New England. The school is often praised for its inclusive culture and top-ranked nursing, business, and public policy programs.
UMass Boston enrolls students from more than 140 countries. About 500 companies regularly visit the school's oceanfront campus on Boston Harbor to recruit students into industries like technology, healthcare, and education.
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8. Suffolk University
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $43,332
- Acceptance Rate: 88%
- Total Student Enrollment: 6,647
Suffolk is a private research university in the Beacon Hill neighborhood on the edge of downtown Boston. Its law school lies just 2 blocks from the Massachusetts State House.
More judges in Massachusetts have graduated from Suffolk Law School than any other law school. Other top-ranking programs at Suffolk include business, public administration, and legal technology.
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9. Berklee College of Music
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $48,330
- Acceptance Rate: 55%
- Total Student Enrollment: 7,943
A private music college specializing in contemporary music, dance, and theater, Berklee is considered one of the world's top music colleges.
The school offers an interdisciplinary education at its urban campus in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, including theater, film scoring, and business classes. Its best-known programs are jazz studies and modern American music.
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10. Bridgewater State University
- Avg. Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $11,051 (in-state) | $17,191 (out-of-state)
- Acceptance Rate: 86%
- Total Student Enrollment: 9,942
BSU is a public university in a suburb about 25 miles south of Boston. It's also the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts.
Founded as a teaching institution in 1840, BSU is often credited with being the birthplace of teacher education in the U.S. The university is also known for its undergraduate research, its study abroad programs, and being one of the top Fulbright producers in the country.
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List of All Colleges in the Boston Area
The following table lists all four-year nonprofit colleges and universities in Boston, including Boston suburbs. We've included information on enrollment, net cost, acceptance rate, and number of applicants for each school using the latest NCES data.
| School | Total Student Enrollment | Avg. Annual Net Price | Acceptance Rate | Number of Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babson College | 3,684 | $29,105 | 25% | 7,104 |
| Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology | 476 | $18,143 | N/A | N/A |
| Bentley University | 5,158 | $41,708 | 61% | 9,311 |
| Berklee College of Music | 7,943 | $48,055 | 55% | 7,266 |
| Boston Architectural College | 728 | $27,887 | N/A | N/A |
| Boston Baptist College | 42 | $23,223 | 64% | 11 |
| Boston College | 15,577 | $30,159 | 19% | 39,846 |
| Boston University | 36,104 | $25,852 | 19% | 75,778 |
| Brandeis University | 5,558 | $35,147 | 39% | 9,796 |
| Bridgewater State University | 9,942 | $12,744 | 86% | 8,881 |
| Cambridge College | 2,451 | $27,166 | N/A | N/A |
| Curry College | 2,242 | $28,782 | 80% | 5,192 |
| Dean College | 1,206 | $35,827 | 74% | 4,924 |
| Eastern Nazarene College | 647 | $19,901 | 64% | 849 |
| Emerson College | 5,900 | $48,842 | 45% | 11,568 |
| Emmanuel College | 1,950 | $28,133 | 74% | 6,072 |
| Endicott College | 3,982 | $38,196 | 77% | 5,055 |
| Fisher College | 1,367 | $26,130 | 72% | 2,897 |
| Framingham State University | 4,495 | $16,900 | 84% | 5,117 |
| Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | 382 | $36,494 | 18% | 907 |
| Gordon College | 1,804 | $25,917 | 77% | 1,462 |
| Harvard University | 31,345 | $13,910 | 4% | 57,786 |
| Hebrew College | 133 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology | 118 | $26,548 | 76% | 74 |
| Hult International Business School | 2,214 | $48,780 | 51% | 1,495 |
| Laboure College of Healthcare | 1,038 | $33,180 | 75% | 4 |
| Lasell University | 1,695 | $29,401 | 85% | 2,550 |
| Lesley University | 4,010 | $31,928 | 87% | 2,942 |
| Massachusetts College of Art and Design | 1,907 | $24,772 | 79% | 2,433 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 11,934 | $30,958 | 4% | 33,240 |
| MCPHS University | 7,304 | $38,390 | 98% | 4,486 |
| Merrimack College | 5,452 | $35,500 | 80% | 10,429 |
| MGH Institute of Health Professions | 1,339 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Montserrat College of Art | 341 | $33,430 | N/A | N/A |
| New England College of Optometry | 525 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Northeastern University | 28,167 | $38,927 | 18% | 75,244 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs | 10,918 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Northpoint Bible College | 250 | $24,502 | N/A | N/A |
| Regis College | 3,599 | $35,775 | 89% | 2,678 |
| Saint John's Seminary | 96 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Salem State University | 7,131 | $18,125 | 90% | 6,287 |
| Simmons University | 5,984 | $19,026 | 84% | 3,516 |
| Stonehill College | 2,479 | $31,467 | 72% | 7219 |
| Suffolk University | 6,647 | $32,393 | 88% | 7,501 |
| The New England Conservatory of Music | 827 | $38,409 | 43% | 952 |
| Tufts University | 13,293 | $31,630 | 11% | 31,198 |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | 15,637 | $17,575 | 79% | 16,383 |
| University of Massachusetts Lowell | 17,597 | $13,227 | 85% | 12,493 |
| Wellesley College | 2,461 | $21,862 | 16% | 7,663 |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | 4,163 | $32,430 | 90% | 5,441 |
| Wheaton College | 1,701 | $28,867 | 82% | 3,724 |
| William James College | 854 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES
Frequently Asked Questions About Colleges in Boston
How many colleges are in Boston?
There are 64 colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston, according to NCES. Some of these schools are within Boston's city limits, whereas others are located in Boston suburbs. All schools, however, are within a 30-mile radius of Boston's city center.
In total, there are 46 private nonprofit institutions, six public universities, seven junior colleges, four schools that primarily grant associate degrees, and one for-profit college in Boston and its surrounding areas.
What is the largest college in the Boston area?
With over 36,000 students, Boston University is the largest school by enrollment in the Boston area. Just over half of students here are undergraduates, according to NCES data. BU is a private research university located west of downtown Boston.
Harvard University is the second-largest institution by enrollment in the Boston area. Most of Harvard's 31,000 students were pursuing graduate degrees as of fall 2021. Harvard is a private research university based in Cambridge, a suburb of Boston.
What is the prettiest university in Boston?
While the prettiest university in Boston is up for debate, one of the top contenders is Boston College.
Located in the village of Chestnut Hill, BC features Collegiate Gothic architecture. One of the best examples is Gasson Hall, which was designed by Charles Donagh Maginnis in 1908. Gasson Hall has inspired many other campuses to adopt a similar architectural style.
Other Boston-area campuses noted for their beauty include Harvard, UMass Boston, and Wellesley College.
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