Massachusetts Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 60 private colleges in Massachusetts with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Harvard University leads the list by accepting 4% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of Massachusetts Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Waltham, Massachusetts

45%

Paxton, Massachusetts

50%

Milton, Massachusetts

50%

Boston, Massachusetts

51%

Cambridge, Massachusetts

60%

Worcester, Massachusetts

60%

Easton, Massachusetts

66%

Norton, Massachusetts

68%

Wenham, Massachusetts

69%

North Andover, Massachusetts

70%

Weston, Massachusetts

70%

Boston, Massachusetts

70%

Beverly, Massachusetts

71%

Boston, Massachusetts

71%

Springfield, Massachusetts

72%

Franklin, Massachusetts

74%

Amherst, Massachusetts

75%

Boston, Massachusetts

76%

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.