by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 29,389 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 31st most popular in the United States.
Across Massachusetts, there were 1,455 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 273 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,973 and $23,950 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in general education. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their general education program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students.
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Hampshire College landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts landed the #2 spot on the list. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a small school located in North Adams, Massachusetts that handed out 10 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts General Education Report
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Smith College landed the #3 spot on the list. Northampton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 18 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Springfield College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Springfield College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Springfield, Massachusetts. It awarded 30 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Endicott College landed the #5 spot on the list. Endicott College is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Stonehill College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. This small school is located in Easton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
With a ranking of #7, Wellesley College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. This small school is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%.
Bay Path University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Salem State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #9. Salem State University is located in Salem, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%.
Merrimack College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Merrimack is a medium-sized school located in North Andover, Massachusetts that handed out 13 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Brandeis University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. This medium-sized school is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Read full report on General Education at Brandeis University
Elms College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Emmanuel College Massachusetts landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
With a ranking of #14, Regis College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Regis College is located in Weston, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Fitchburg State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #15. Fitchburg State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It awarded 10 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. UMass Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 50 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Tufts University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.1% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Boston University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 1 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Boston College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Harvard University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 568 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Gordon College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts ranking. Wenham, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Simmons University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Simmons University is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 0 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Lesley University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Lesley is a small school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 23 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Curry College ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Massachusetts list. Curry College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Milton, Massachusetts. It awarded 0 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
