Best Value New England Colleges

There are 87 colleges in the New England ranked by value using the same methodology as our national list. Rankings balance academic quality with the net price students typically pay.

Williams College leads New England value rankings for 2027 with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $15,894. The top value public university is University of Vermont. Also high value: Harvard University, Amherst College and Yale University.

Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the colleges below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Explore the regional list below or browse individual states.

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New England Public Private 4 Year

Williams College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Williamstown, MA
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Jan 10 application deadline

Williams is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics and Oxford-style tutorials. Most students live on the rural campus in the Berkshires town of Williamstown.

#1 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1490-1570
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
  • Acceptance Rate 8%
  • Net Price $15,894
Details

Harvard University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Cambridge, MA
  • 4.8 | 4 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Harvard is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate economics, government, and the sciences. Most upperclass students live in residential houses that organize dining and social life.

#2 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1510-1580
  • Avg GPA 4.0
  • Acceptance Rate 4%
  • Net Price $17,525
Details

Amherst College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Amherst, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 2 application deadline

Amherst is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, English, and political science. Students follow an open curriculum, and the campus sits in a classic New England college town.

#3 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1490-1580
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
  • Acceptance Rate 9%
  • Net Price $19,049
Details

Yale University

  • Private 4 Year
  • New Haven, CT
  • 4.3 | 3 reviews
  • Jan 2 application deadline

Yale is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate programs in history, political science, and drama. Most undergraduates live in residential colleges that organize dining and social life.

#4 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1470-1570
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.95
  • Acceptance Rate 4%
  • Net Price $22,408
Details

Colby College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Waterville, ME
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Colby is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies, economics, and government. The residential campus sits on Mayflower Hill above Waterville.

#5 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1460-1550
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
  • Acceptance Rate 7%
  • Net Price $16,219
Details

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  • Private 4 Year
  • Cambridge, MA
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

MIT is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences. The compact urban campus sits along the Charles River in Cambridge.

#6 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1520-1580
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.96
  • Acceptance Rate 5%
  • Net Price $20,996
Details

Dartmouth College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Hanover, NH
  • 5.0 | 4 reviews
  • Jan 3 application deadline

Dartmouth is an Ivy League college known for undergraduate government, economics, and engineering. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Hanover.

#7 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1500-1570
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
  • Acceptance Rate 5%
  • Net Price $20,322
Details

Wellesley College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Wellesley, MA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 8 application deadline

Wellesley is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in a Boston suburb about twelve miles west of the city.

#8 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1460-1560
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
  • Acceptance Rate 14%
  • Net Price $22,174
Details

Bowdoin College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Brunswick, ME
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 5 application deadline

Bowdoin is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate government, environmental studies, and the sciences. The historic campus sits in the coastal college town of Brunswick.

#9 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1470-1550
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 7%
  • Net Price $22,228
Details

Wesleyan University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Middletown, CT
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Wesleyan is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate film studies, creative writing, and music. Students live on a residential Middletown campus and follow an open curriculum with no required core courses.

#10 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1415-1540
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 16%
  • Net Price $23,025
Details

Brown University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Providence, RI
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Jan 5 application deadline

Brown is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate economics, computer science, and the biological sciences. Most students design their own path under the Open Curriculum, which has no required core.

#11 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1510-1580
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
  • Acceptance Rate 5%
  • Net Price $26,256
Details

Bates College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Lewiston, ME
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Bates is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate political science, economics, and biology. Most students live on the residential campus in the small city of Lewiston.

#12 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1420-1530
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 13%
  • Net Price $24,723
Details

Middlebury College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Middlebury, VT
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Middlebury is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate language study, environmental studies, and international affairs. The hillside campus sits in a small college town in Vermont's Champlain Valley.

#13 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1445-1550
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.89
  • Acceptance Rate 11%
  • Net Price $26,233
Details

Boston University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Boston, MA
  • 3.4 | 11 reviews
  • Jan 4 application deadline

Boston University is a private university known for undergraduate communications, business, and international relations. The urban campus stretches along Commonwealth Avenue beside the Charles River.

#14 Best Value in New England 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1420-1530
  • Avg GPA 3.79
  • Acceptance Rate 11%
  • Net Price $24,420
Details

Smith College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Northampton, MA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Smith is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, government, and the arts. Students live on a historic campus in Northampton and can cross-register through the Five College Consortium.

#15 Best Value in New England 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1420-1540
  • Avg GPA 4.0
  • Acceptance Rate 21%
  • Net Price $27,305
Details

Boston College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Chestnut Hill, MA
  • 5.0 | 5 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Boston College is a highly selective private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and the liberal arts. The residential campus sits in suburban Chestnut Hill just outside Boston.

#16 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1440-1540
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
  • Acceptance Rate 16%
  • Net Price $32,519
Details

Tufts University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Medford, MA
  • 4.5 | 2 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Tufts is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate international relations and biology. Most undergrads live on a residential hilltop campus in the Boston suburbs of Medford and Somerville.

#17 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1470-1560
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
  • Acceptance Rate 11%
  • Net Price $32,367
Details

Trinity College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Hartford, CT
  • 5.0 | 6 reviews
  • Jan 17 application deadline

Trinity is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, political science, and economics. The historic campus occupies a compact urban site in Hartford.

#18 Best Value in New England 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1298-1470
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.8
  • Acceptance Rate 29%
  • Net Price $36,071
Details