For those interested in studying in Massachusetts, we have a very useful list. We selected the best Massachusetts institutions for prospective students. Please know that rankings are based on academic research, alumni reviews, graduation rates, as well as assessment from peer colleges. On the page, you will find major admissions stats such as acceptance rate, tuition fees, average SAT scores for each ranked college or university.
| Rankings | Schools |
| 1 | Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) Tuition: $40,866 Total enrollment: 19,872 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 6.3% Average freshman retention rate: 98% 6-year graduation rate: 97% Classes with under 20 students: 78.0% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1390-1590 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) Tuition: $42,050 Total enrollment: 10,894 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 9.7% Average freshman retention rate: 98% 6-year graduation rate: 93% Classes with under 20 students: 66.8% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1410-1570 |
| 3 | Tufts University (Medford, MA) Tuition: $44,666 Total enrollment: 10,775 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 21.9% Average freshman retention rate: 97% 6-year graduation rate: 90% Classes with under 20 students: 69.1% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1360-1500 |
| 4 | Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA) Tuition: $43,878 Total enrollment: 13,906 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 28.0% Average freshman retention rate: 95% 6-year graduation rate: 91% Classes with under 20 students: 52.0% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1260-1440 |
| 5 | Brandeis University (Waltham, MA) Tuition: $43,708 Total enrollment: 5,828 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 40.0% Average freshman retention rate: 93% 6-year graduation rate: 91% Classes with under 20 students: 61.5% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1230-1450 |
| 6 | Boston University (Boston, MA) Tuition: $42,994 Total enrollment: 32,439 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 49.4% Average freshman retention rate: 91% 6-year graduation rate: 85% Classes with under 20 students: 54.9% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1180-1370 |
| 7 | Northeastern University (Boston, MA) Tuition: $39,736 Total enrollment: 19,719 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 34.5% Average freshman retention rate: 93% 6-year graduation rate: 77% Classes with under 20 students: 63.5% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1250-1430 |
| 8 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA) Tuition: $41,380 Total enrollment: 5,778 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 56.7% Average freshman retention rate: 94% 6-year graduation rate: 76% Classes with under 20 students: 65.2% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1200-1400 |
| 9 | Clark University (Worcester, MA) Tuition: $38,450 Total enrollment: 3,462 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 67.9% Average freshman retention rate: 89% 6-year graduation rate: 80% Classes with under 20 students: 59.7% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1080-1310 |
| 10 | University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, MA) Tuition: in-state: $13,230, out-of-state: $26,645 Total enrollment: 28,084 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 65.6% Average freshman retention rate: 88% 6-year graduation rate: 67% Classes with under 20 students: 41.8% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1090-1280 |
| 11 | University of Massachusetts Lowell (Lowell, MA) Tuition: in-state: $11,852, out-of-state: $18,965 Total enrollment: 15,431 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 65.0% Average freshman retention rate: 79% 6-year graduation rate: 50% Classes with under 20 students: 56.8% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1000-1210 |
| 12 | University of Massachusetts Boston (Boston, MA) Tuition: N/A Total enrollment: 15,741 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 68.4% Average freshman retention rate: 76% 6-year graduation rate: 40% Classes with under 20 students: 33.3% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 930-1140 |
Recent History of Massachusetts
The most famous missionary in Massachusetts is John Eliot. Emigrating to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1631, Eliot is known as one of the editors of the Massachusetts Book of Psalms (or The Gulf Psalm Book), the first book printed in New England. In 1663, John Eliot translated the Massachusetts Bible into the language of the Indians. In 1666, a grammar of the language of the Indians of Massachusetts, written by him, was published.
John Eliot, who was called the “Indian Apostle”, tried to preserve the culture of Native Americans. He wanted to settle them in newly built cities, where they could live according to their own rules, while at the same time observing all the norms of a Christian society. His attempt was partially successful, and fourteen such settlements were built in which, by 1675, 20% of the native residents of Massachusetts lived. However, during the armed conflicts between European colonists and Indians in 1675-76, known as the “King Philip’s War”, most of them were destroyed.
In 1691, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was merged with the Plymouth Colony and the Colony of Maine to form the province of Massachusetts.
During the struggle of the North American colonies for independence, Boston was the center of revolutionary activity.
In 1770, a clash between the residents of the city and British soldiers took place in Boston, known as the “Boston Massacre”.
The key event of the American Revolution was the incident known as the Boston Tea Party. A group of American revolutionaries, calling themselves the “Sons of Liberty”, led by Samuel Adams, protested against the actions of the English East India Company. On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, dressed in Indian costumes and armed with axes and clubs, boarded the merchant ships Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver, which were moored in the Port of Boston. They emptied the holds, throwing 342 cases of tea overboard.
The Boston Tea Party was one of the prerequisites for the American War of Independence. Military operations were also carried out on the territory of the modern state of Massachusetts. For example, the first victory of the future first US PresidentGeorge Washington as a military commander of the revolutionary troops was the victory in the siege of Boston in the winter of 1776, after which the British were forced to leave the city.
On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Hancock, in his capacity as Representative of Massachusetts, signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1780, Massachusetts, the first state in the United States, adopted a state constitution. On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the US Constitution.
In the 19th century, Massachusetts experienced rapid growth, becoming one of the leaders of the American Industrial Revolution. Light industry, paper production, and machine tool building were actively developing in the state. The construction of railways began.
In the years leading up to the American Civil War, Massachusetts was one of the most progressive states in the US. The death penalty was abolished here, and an active struggle against slavery was waged (in the state itself, slavery was prohibited).
In the last decades of the 19th century, Massachusetts became the leader in higher education in the United States.
Massachusetts entered the 20th century with a developed industrial economy. The state capital, Boston, was a major industrial center and the second largest port in the United States. The population of the state grew rapidly, mainly due to immigration from abroad.
In the 1920s, everything changed for the worse. The Great Depression destroyed the economy of Massachusetts, many businesses closed, unemployment became massive. Between 1920 and 1950, Boston was one of the slowest growing areas in the US.
The difficult economic situation was also complicated by tense relations between various racial and ethnic groups. On the streets of Boston, there were frequent clashes between the Irish and Italians.
The Second World War caused great changes in the economy of Massachusetts, which in turn led to changes in society. The increase in government, primarily defense orders, changed the structure of production in the state. Priorities shifted towards high-tech industries.
In the decades that followed , US government commissions, private investment, and research projects helped establish a modern industry in the state, reduce unemployment, and increase per capita incomes.
Now the state of Massachusetts is one of the largest centers of education in the United States (especially of higher education), science-intensive technologies are actively developing here, including biological and information technologies. The state’s transition from manufacturing decline to today’s booming economy is often referred to as the “Massachusetts Miracle.”