2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region
177
Colleges
$80,474
Avg Salary*
83%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its Top New England Region Colleges ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 177 colleges and universities across the New England Region to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
Custom Rankings
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Top Colleges in the New England Region
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the best school for overall quality in the New England Region in this year’s ranking. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,620 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $111,222 during the early years of their career..
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A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges in the New England Region list means Harvard University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 9,623 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard make an average of $84,918 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Harvard University
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the New England Region list means Yale University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 4,383 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $88,655 during the early years of their career..
Full Yale University Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #4 in the New England Region on this year’s overall quality ranking. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,032 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Brown is $78,943 during the early years of their career.
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Out of the 177 schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Dartmouth College landed the #5 spot on the list. Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,220 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth go into careers with an average salary of $91,627 during the early years of their career.
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Bentley University landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Bentley is located in Waltham, Massachusetts and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,676 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The low student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $107,974 during the early years of their career..
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Tufts University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,142 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 88%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $67,122 during the early years of their career..
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 2,043 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. During the early years of their career, graduates from WPI make an average of $89,405 a year.
Full Worcester Polytechnic Institute Report
Boston University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking.Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 11,580 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Boston U is $75,642 during the early years of their career.
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William James College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges in the New England Region list. William James College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Newton, Massachusetts that handed out 264 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on William James College
With a ranking of #11, Bowdoin College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Bowdoin College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Brunswick, Maine that handed out 619 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin is $66,864 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Bowdoin College
Babson College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Babson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1,071 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 90%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Babson College make an average of $106,595 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Babson College
Northeastern University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 8,157 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern is $79,786 during the early years of their career.
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Boston College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #14. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It awarded 5,001 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Boston College make an average of $93,021 a year.
Read full report on Boston College
Amherst College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Amherst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 468 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 88%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Amherst is $71,567 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Amherst College
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #16. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 2,520 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from MCPHS University is $118,171 during the early years of their career.
Full Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Report
Williams College landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 692 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Williams make an average of $71,608 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Williams College
Middlebury College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #18. Middlebury is a private not-for-profit institution located in Middlebury, Vermont. The school has a small population, and it awarded 862 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury go into careers with an average salary of $65,933 during the early years of their career.
Full Middlebury College Report
With a ranking of #19, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the large public school awarded 9,582 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from UMass Amherst make an average of $62,048 a year.
Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Report
Colby College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #20. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Waterville, Maine, and it awarded 711 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Colby make an average of $71,127 a year.
Full Colby College Report
University of Connecticut did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #21. UCONN is a large public school situated in Storrs, Connecticut. It awarded 9,327 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from UCONN make an average of $72,460 a year.
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With a ranking of #22, Wellesley College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 739 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Wellesley make an average of $66,531 a year.
Read full report on Wellesley College
Boston Architectural College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #23. Boston Architectural College is located in Boston, Massachusetts and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 198 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 5 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Boston Architectural College is $63,779 during the early years of their career.
Full Boston Architectural College Report
Simmons University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Simmons is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,417 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Simmons make an average of $56,053 per year during the early years of their career.
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Brandeis University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges in the New England Region list. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 2,331 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $70,327 during the early years of their career..
Full Brandeis University Report
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