State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard

Cheapest Colleges in Massachusetts

According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 117 Massachusetts colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.

$2,624
Cheapest net price
$24,402
Massachusetts median
117
Schools ranked

Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage

The list in one line

Middlesex Community College has the lowest average net price in Massachusetts at $2,624/year, and the state's median net price is 43% above the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.

$2,624
cheapest ranked net price
$24,402
Massachusetts median net price
38 public / 79 private
schools in this ranking
$17,527
avg net price, <$30K income families

Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.

Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Williams College, where in-state published tuition of $68,560 falls to an average net price of $17,716 after aid, a $50,844 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked Massachusetts schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.

Across all 117 ranked Massachusetts schools, 38 are public institutions and 79 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.

Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.

Massachusetts's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price

# College Avg net priceNet price (<$30K income)Median debtMedian earnings, 6yrEnrollment
1 Middlesex Community College Bedford, MA · Public $2,624 95% of the leader · rank #1 $943 $7,291 $40,318 8,280
2 Bristol Community College Fall River, MA · Public $5,547 89% of the leader · rank #2 $4,550 $8,243 $35,555 6,096
3 Springfield Technical Community College Springfield, MA · Public $5,662 89% of the leader · rank #3 $4,250 $6,570 $35,824 4,561
4 Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, MA · Public $6,046 88% of the leader · rank #4 $5,256 $9,000 $36,235 4,510
5 Urban College of Boston Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $6,957 86% of the leader · rank #5 $6,957 - $33,241 728
6 Southeastern Technical Institute South Easton, MA · Public $7,060 86% of the leader · rank #6 $8,009 $8,846 - 144
7 Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills, MA · Public $7,169 86% of the leader · rank #7 $6,206 $6,500 $37,504 3,973
8 Greenfield Community College Greenfield, MA · Public $7,679 84% of the leader · rank #8 $7,311 $8,307 $27,778 1,544
9 Bunker Hill Community College Boston, MA · Public $7,818 84% of the leader · rank #9 $7,120 $10,500 $39,847 8,545
10 Mount Wachusett Community College Gardner, MA · Public $7,931 84% of the leader · rank #10 $5,899 $10,252 $37,314 3,204
11 Holyoke Community College Holyoke, MA · Public $8,068 84% of the leader · rank #11 $6,522 $8,250 $32,437 3,706
12 Cape Cod Community College West Barnstable, MA · Public $8,296 83% of the leader · rank #12 $8,253 $12,000 $39,296 2,604
13 Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School Bourne, MA · Public $8,373 83% of the leader · rank #13 $9,425 $9,500 - 77
14 Massasoit Community College Brockton, MA · Public $8,460 83% of the leader · rank #14 $7,194 $10,000 $38,606 5,029
15 North Shore Community College Danvers, MA · Public $9,000 82% of the leader · rank #15 $8,622 $9,000 $40,373 4,833
16 Quinsigamond Community College Worcester, MA · Public $9,090 82% of the leader · rank #16 $8,148 $16,575 $38,351 6,930
17 Berkshire Community College Pittsfield, MA · Public $9,921 80% of the leader · rank #17 $7,797 $12,053 $36,584 1,572
18 Tri County Regional Vocational Technical High School Franklin, MA · Public $11,682 76% of the leader · rank #18 $11,682 - - 64
19 Roxbury Community College Roxbury Crossing, MA · Public $12,244 75% of the leader · rank #19 $12,222 - $40,823 1,631
20 Worcester State University Worcester, MA · Public $13,381 73% of the leader · rank #20 $8,793 $19,500 $50,233 5,611
21 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA · Public $14,262 71% of the leader · rank #21 $10,204 $24,239 $41,999 6,296
22 Bay Path University Longmeadow, MA · Private nonprofit $14,271 71% of the leader · rank #22 $11,948 $24,901 $51,548 2,643
23 Lowell Academy Hairstyling Institute Lowell, MA · Private for-profit $14,839 70% of the leader · rank #23 $14,839 $7,994 $44,170 59
24 Charles H McCann Technical School North Adams, MA · Public $14,998 70% of the leader · rank #24 $14,998 - - 45
25 Massachusetts School of Barbering Quincy, MA · Private for-profit $15,216 69% of the leader · rank #25 $15,216 $8,294 - 48
See all 117 ranked Massachusetts schools →
# College Avg net priceNet price (<$30K income)Median debtMedian earnings, 6yrEnrollment
26 Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $15,488 69% of the leader · rank #26 $13,664 $12,000 $50,583 592
27 Salem State University Salem, MA · Public $15,996 68% of the leader · rank #27 $10,516 $25,000 $48,209 6,239
28 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, MA · Public $16,068 68% of the leader · rank #28 $9,845 $23,750 $36,803 933
29 Framingham State University Framingham, MA · Public $16,114 67% of the leader · rank #29 $11,934 $25,000 $46,611 4,028
30 New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Massachusetts North Andover, MA · Private for-profit $16,164 67% of the leader · rank #30 $15,596 $6,333 $51,037 527
31 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA · Public $16,383 67% of the leader · rank #31 $10,007 $24,286 $46,673 9,550
32 Westfield State University Westfield, MA · Public $16,721 66% of the leader · rank #32 $10,751 $22,457 $46,861 4,555
33 New England Hair Academy Malden, MA · Private for-profit $16,917 66% of the leader · rank #33 $16,917 - $8,535 102
34 DiGrigoli School of Cosmetology West Springfield, MA · Private for-profit $16,975 66% of the leader · rank #34 $16,975 - $13,581 28
35 Quincy College Quincy, MA · Public $17,126 65% of the leader · rank #35 $15,972 $13,874 $43,642 2,603
36 University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA · Public $17,163 65% of the leader · rank #36 $9,943 $23,704 $61,467 16,770
37 College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee, MA · Private nonprofit $17,545 65% of the leader · rank #37 $8,099 $25,000 $54,087 1,332
38 University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston, MA · Public $17,707 64% of the leader · rank #38 $14,070 $21,974 $53,521 15,810
39 Williams College Williamstown, MA · Private nonprofit $17,716 64% of the leader · rank #39 Aid covers full cost $12,761 $71,754 2,168
40 Boston Baptist College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $17,933 64% of the leader · rank #40 - - - 33
41 Empire Beauty School-Malden Malden, MA · Private for-profit $18,534 63% of the leader · rank #41 $17,909 $10,667 $20,215 101
42 Harvard University Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit $19,066 61% of the leader · rank #42 $8,697 $14,000 $99,572 30,386
43 Greater Lowell Technical School Tyngsboro, MA · Public $19,205 61% of the leader · rank #43 $19,205 - - 77
44 Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics Woburn, MA · Private for-profit $20,086 59% of the leader · rank #44 $19,478 $6,233 $22,607 163
45 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit $20,111 59% of the leader · rank #45 Aid covers full cost $14,768 $131,633 11,920
46 Motoring Technical Training Institute Seekonk, MA · Private for-profit $20,255 59% of the leader · rank #46 $18,840 $9,500 $42,100 328
47 Rob Roy Academy-Taunton Taunton, MA · Private for-profit $20,493 59% of the leader · rank #47 $19,866 - - 21
48 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA · Public $20,927 58% of the leader · rank #48 $15,976 $25,000 $51,475 7,759
49 Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA · Public $21,582 56% of the leader · rank #49 $8,757 $25,000 $80,424 1,362
50 Diman Regional Technical Institute Fall River, MA · Public $21,734 56% of the leader · rank #50 $23,192 $10,015 - 56
51 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA · Public $22,383 55% of the leader · rank #51 $10,164 $22,763 $60,347 31,810
52 Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing Brockton, MA · Private nonprofit $22,761 54% of the leader · rank #52 $14,737 $20,000 - 152
53 EINE Inc Tewksbury, MA · Private for-profit $22,951 54% of the leader · rank #53 $22,951 - - 40
54 American International College Springfield, MA · Private nonprofit $23,274 53% of the leader · rank #54 $24,437 $27,000 $41,451 2,142
55 Amherst College Amherst, MA · Private nonprofit $23,367 53% of the leader · rank #55 $1,086 $13,740 $62,537 1,910
56 Northpoint Bible College Haverhill, MA · Private nonprofit $23,635 52% of the leader · rank #56 $23,323 $25,000 $34,408 128
57 Hampshire College Amherst, MA · Private nonprofit $24,034 51% of the leader · rank #57 $13,749 $26,893 $22,195 717
58 Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA · Public $24,100 51% of the leader · rank #58 $16,351 $25,755 $27,090 1,986
59 Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $24,402 51% of the leader · rank #59 $9,500 $23,250 $65,655 36,624
60 Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Worcester Worcester, MA · Private for-profit $24,598 50% of the leader · rank #60 $23,600 $6,222 - 171
61 Gordon College Wenham, MA · Private nonprofit $24,883 50% of the leader · rank #61 $21,829 $26,250 $45,839 1,610
62 Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham, MA · Private nonprofit $25,171 49% of the leader · rank #62 - $19,500 $105,483 402
63 Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Brookline, MA · Private nonprofit $25,203 49% of the leader · rank #63 $24,953 $21,500 $30,988 199
64 Simmons University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $25,265 49% of the leader · rank #64 $18,027 $24,840 $61,420 5,053
65 Rob Roy Academy-Worcester Worcester, MA · Private for-profit $25,383 49% of the leader · rank #65 $25,637 $9,465 $14,519 121
66 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit $25,496 48% of the leader · rank #66 $2,546 $10,000 $65,961 2,418
67 Rob Roy Academy-New Bedford New Bedford, MA · Private for-profit $25,805 48% of the leader · rank #67 $24,879 - - 15
68 Boston Architectural College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $25,865 48% of the leader · rank #68 $24,056 $37,250 $58,619 787
69 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA · Private nonprofit $26,441 47% of the leader · rank #69 $10,882 $22,902 $48,590 2,330
70 Fisher College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $26,649 46% of the leader · rank #70 $25,071 $25,000 $44,366 1,501
71 Emmanuel College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $26,706 46% of the leader · rank #71 $20,399 $27,000 $50,180 2,059
72 North Bennet Street School Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $27,251 45% of the leader · rank #72 $27,251 $9,500 $47,319 151
73 Western New England University Springfield, MA · Private nonprofit $27,290 45% of the leader · rank #73 $20,726 $25,500 $51,771 3,574
74 FINE Mortuary College Norwood, MA · Private for-profit $27,385 45% of the leader · rank #74 $27,385 $30,312 - 176
75 Regis College Weston, MA · Private nonprofit $27,477 44% of the leader · rank #75 $21,415 $25,500 $56,223 2,842
76 Lasell University Auburndale, MA · Private nonprofit $27,511 44% of the leader · rank #76 $18,334 $26,000 $45,468 1,527
77 Smith College Northampton, MA · Private nonprofit $27,579 44% of the leader · rank #77 $1,363 $17,550 $45,731 2,830
78 National Aviation Academy of New England Concord, MA · Private for-profit $27,871 44% of the leader · rank #78 $25,889 $21,198 $60,455 210
79 Spa Tech Institute-Westboro Westborough, MA · Private for-profit $28,170 43% of the leader · rank #79 $26,198 $6,333 $24,126 194
80 Anna Maria College Paxton, MA · Private nonprofit $28,333 43% of the leader · rank #80 $25,554 $25,000 $63,110 1,332
81 Clark University Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit $28,714 42% of the leader · rank #81 $18,188 $26,759 $49,022 4,124
82 Rob Roy Academy-Fall River Fall River, MA · Private for-profit $29,124 41% of the leader · rank #82 $28,772 $6,333 - 98
83 Curry College Milton, MA · Private nonprofit $29,207 41% of the leader · rank #83 $23,806 $25,000 $46,746 1,994
84 Assabet Valley Regional Technical School Marlborough, MA · Public $29,449 40% of the leader · rank #84 $29,482 $9,500 - 48
85 Assumption University Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit $29,498 40% of the leader · rank #85 $19,885 $27,000 $46,029 2,046
86 Suffolk University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $29,618 40% of the leader · rank #86 $24,745 $26,889 $55,856 6,697
87 Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton, MA · Private nonprofit $29,822 40% of the leader · rank #87 $20,076 $26,000 $51,607 1,778
88 Springfield College Springfield, MA · Private nonprofit $30,587 38% of the leader · rank #88 $22,519 $26,250 $43,692 2,785
89 Dean College Franklin, MA · Private nonprofit $30,684 38% of the leader · rank #89 $26,996 $25,000 $30,046 1,151
90 Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $30,915 38% of the leader · rank #90 $2,264 $24,250 $78,413 31,159
91 Cambridge College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $31,072 37% of the leader · rank #91 - $21,791 $49,215 1,952
92 Lesley University Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit $31,152 37% of the leader · rank #92 $24,799 $21,000 $40,150 3,134
93 Spa Tech Institute-Plymouth Plymouth, MA · Private for-profit $31,895 36% of the leader · rank #93 $30,611 $6,333 $24,126 236
94 Alexander Academy Lunenburg, MA · Private for-profit $32,061 35% of the leader · rank #94 $32,061 $9,500 - 30
95 Stonehill College Easton, MA · Private nonprofit $33,016 33% of the leader · rank #95 $23,605 $25,000 $63,285 2,584
96 Nichols College Dudley, MA · Private nonprofit $33,036 33% of the leader · rank #96 $22,054 $27,000 $47,830 1,354
97 Montserrat College of Art Beverly, MA · Private nonprofit $33,216 33% of the leader · rank #97 $25,388 $27,000 $24,780 276
98 Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $34,170 31% of the leader · rank #98 $27,018 $25,028 $71,868 4,018
99 Shawsheen Valley School of Practical Nursing Billerica, MA · Public $35,126 29% of the leader · rank #99 $33,187 - - 35
100 Brandeis University Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit $35,736 28% of the leader · rank #100 $13,363 $25,648 $52,967 5,302
101 Laboure College of Healthcare Milton, MA · Private nonprofit $36,863 25% of the leader · rank #101 - $25,250 $64,815 717
102 Merrimack College North Andover, MA · Private nonprofit $37,927 23% of the leader · rank #102 $31,710 $27,000 $54,316 5,688
103 Bentley University Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit $37,930 23% of the leader · rank #103 $21,196 $25,023 $86,679 5,264
104 Longy School of Music of Bard College Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit $38,530 22% of the leader · rank #104 - $24,254 $31,072 318
105 Spa Tech Institute-North Andover North Andover, MA · Private for-profit $38,758 22% of the leader · rank #105 $35,876 $6,333 $24,126 144
106 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit $38,782 22% of the leader · rank #106 $14,343 $27,000 $69,984 3,035
107 MCPHS University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $39,545 20% of the leader · rank #107 $35,206 $25,000 $77,171 6,321
108 Tufts University Medford, MA · Private nonprofit $39,998 19% of the leader · rank #108 $11,284 $16,250 $68,337 13,274
109 Babson College Babson Park, MA · Private nonprofit $40,514 18% of the leader · rank #109 $23,641 $20,000 $91,354 3,943
110 Endicott College Beverly, MA · Private nonprofit $40,654 18% of the leader · rank #110 $29,780 $27,000 $57,286 4,254
111 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA · Private nonprofit $41,704 16% of the leader · rank #111 $4,284 $19,000 $85,717 15,280
112 Monty Tech Fitchburg, MA · Public $41,748 16% of the leader · rank #112 $40,575 $9,500 - 33
113 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit $43,071 13% of the leader · rank #113 $24,018 $27,000 $85,038 7,353
114 Hult International Business School Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit $45,447 8% of the leader · rank #114 $43,305 - - 2,003
115 The New England Conservatory of Music Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $46,754 5% of the leader · rank #115 $47,882 $27,000 $18,830 784
116 Emerson College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $49,180 4% of the leader · rank #116 $32,650 $23,000 $42,799 5,670
117 Berklee College of Music Boston, MA · Private nonprofit $49,465 4% of the leader · rank #117 $42,734 $25,000 $26,462 8,448

Related

All 51 states → | Massachusetts campus safety → | Find your school's rank → | Methodology →

What this means for you

Use Massachusetts's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.

Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.

Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.