Best New England Colleges

There are 190 colleges and universities in New England enrolling 1,090,743 students. Explore the list of top colleges in New England below to begin your college search. The CollegeSimply rankings are objective and data-driven in order to help you find good matches for you. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page. Whether you're searching for a good public, private or community college, this guide to universities in New England offers a comprehensive view to the state's higher education options.

 New England is home to nationally ranked institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brown University. The highest ranked college in New England is Harvard University and the top rated public state college is University of Connecticut.

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New England Public Private For-Profit 4 Year 2 Year

List of the Best New England Colleges

  • Private 4 Year
  • Boston, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 20 application deadline

Emerson is a private college known for undergraduate journalism, film, and performing arts. The urban campus sits in Boston's Theater District near Boston Common.

#37 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1270-1420
  • Avg GPA 3.73
  • Acceptance Rate 51%
  • Net Price $53,432

  • Private 4 Year
  • Springfield, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

Springfield College is a private college known for undergraduate physical education, exercise science, and health sciences. Basketball was invented on its campus, and the school keeps a long focus on sport and human services.

#38 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1080-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.56
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $30,039

  • Private 4 Year
  • Manchester, NH
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Saint Anselm is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate politics and nursing. The Benedictine campus in Manchester has long hosted New Hampshire presidential primary debates.

#39 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1110-1278
  • Avg GPA 3.39
  • Acceptance Rate 78%
  • Net Price $35,551

  • Private 4 Year
  • Smithfield, RI
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Bryant is a private university known for undergraduate business. The suburban campus sits northwest of Providence.

#40 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1190-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.43
  • Acceptance Rate 65%
  • Net Price $42,139

  • Private 4 Year
  • Newport, RI
  • 4.0 | 2 reviews

Salve Regina is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and historic preservation. The Newport campus overlooks the Atlantic and incorporates several Gilded Age mansions.

#41 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1160-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.52
  • Acceptance Rate 68%
  • Net Price $38,307

  • Private 4 Year
  • Beverly, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Endicott is a private college known for undergraduate hospitality management, nursing, and business. The oceanfront campus sits along the North Shore coastline in Beverly.

#42 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1193-1340
  • Avg GPA 3.55
  • Acceptance Rate 71%
  • Net Price $41,394

  • Private 4 Year
  • Colchester, VT
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Saint Michael's is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate education, biology, and business. The residential campus sits near Burlington and Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont.

#43 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1280
  • Avg GPA 3.27
  • Acceptance Rate 85%
  • Net Price $27,982

  • Private 4 Year
  • Bristol, RI
  • 4.3 | 3 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Roger Williams is a private university known for undergraduate architecture and marine biology. The waterfront campus sits on Mount Hope Bay in Bristol.

#44 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1140-1310
  • Avg GPA 3.43
  • Acceptance Rate 88%
  • Net Price $38,779

  • Public 4 Year
  • Buzzards Bay, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Apr 15 application deadline

Mass Maritime is a public maritime academy known for undergraduate marine transportation, marine engineering, and maritime business. Most students join a regiment of cadets on a campus along the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzards Bay.

#45 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1030-1185
  • Avg GPA 3.25
  • Acceptance Rate 95%
  • Net Price $13,546

  • Private 4 Year
  • Wenham, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Gordon is a private Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate music, education, and psychology. Most students live on a wooded residential campus in the small North Shore town of Wenham.

#46 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1130-1355
  • Avg GPA 3.58
  • Acceptance Rate 69%
  • Net Price $25,299

  • Private 4 Year
  • Chicopee, MA
  • 3.5 | 4 reviews

Elms College is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate nursing and education. The small campus is in Chicopee in western Massachusetts.

#47 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1150-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.42
  • Acceptance Rate 85%
  • Net Price $19,870

  • Public 4 Year
  • Lowell, MA
  • 3.5 | 2 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

UMass Lowell is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and sciences. The urban campus sits along the Merrimack River in Lowell.

#48 Best Colleges in New England 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1180-1370
  • Avg GPA 3.67
  • Acceptance Rate 83%
  • Net Price $16,530

  • Private 4 Year
  • Springfield, MA
  • | 0 reviews

Western New England is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and pharmacy. The residential campus sits in Springfield in western Massachusetts.

#49 Best Colleges in New England 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1090-1300
  • Avg GPA 3.49
  • Acceptance Rate 83%
  • Net Price $27,056

  • Private 4 Year
  • Boston, MA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Wentworth is a private institute of technology known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and design. The urban campus sits in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.

#50 Best Colleges in New England 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1110-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.39
  • Acceptance Rate 91%
  • Net Price $35,604

  • Public 4 Year
  • Durham, NH
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

UNH is a large public university known for undergraduate marine science, environmental studies, and business. Durham is a classic New England college town built around the campus near the seacoast.

#51 Best Colleges in New England 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1090-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.58
  • Acceptance Rate 88%
  • Net Price $24,999

  • Private 4 Year
  • Northfield, VT
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews

Norwich is a private senior military college known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and criminal justice. Most undergrads participate in the Corps of Cadets on the rural Northfield campus.

#52 Best Colleges in New England 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1060-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.39
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $24,496

  • Private 4 Year
  • Boston, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Emmanuel is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate nursing and the sciences. The Fenway campus shares classes and facilities with neighboring schools through a consortium.

#53 Best Colleges in New England 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1170-1340
  • Avg GPA 3.6
  • Acceptance Rate 76%
  • Net Price $31,121

  • Public 4 Year
  • Kingston, RI
  • 4.0 | 7 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

URI is a public university known for undergraduate oceanography, marine science, and pharmacy. The main campus sits in the college town of Kingston in southern Rhode Island.

#54 Best Colleges in New England 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1020-1280
  • Avg GPA 3.58
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $24,118