Public · College

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

North Adams, Massachusetts · Fringe town

#5 best value in Massachusetts
89.7%
Admit rate
$16,068
Avg net price
56%
Graduation rate
$48,102
Median earnings

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a public bachelor's-granting institution in North Adams, Massachusetts (fringe town setting), enrolling 713 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 713 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 90% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

About North Adams, Massachusetts

North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. North Adams was first settled in 1745 during King George's War, when the most western of a line of defensive forts was built along the bank of the Hoosic River, and occupied by Massachusetts militiamen and their families. Due to North Adams being the location of MASS MoCA, there are numerous art galleries spread throughout the city, and a few of the old mills have been converted to lofts for artists to live and work in. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
33 miles to Albany, NY
To the ocean
96 miles
Nearest airport
36 miles to Albany (ALB) · major hub

How Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts compares

Selectivity89.7%

More selective than 25% · #56 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

Graduation rate56%

Higher than 52% · #47 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention76%

Higher than 48%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,102

Higher than 33% · #55 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$16,068

Cheaper than 68% · #5 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$23,750

Lower than 46%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment713

Larger than 28%

Percentiles compare Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

815students
  • Undergraduate71387%
  • Graduate10213%

Undergraduates by gender

713undergrads
  • Women45464%
  • Men25936%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White73%
  • Black8.7%
  • Hispanic6.7%
  • Asian1.7%
  • Other or multiracial10%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
713
Graduate enrollment
102
Student–faculty ratio
8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
41%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$45,534
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$94,113
Endowment
$22,979,412

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 191 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Massachusetts55%
  • Other U.S. states41%
  • International3.7%

A regional draw: about 55% of first-years come from Massachusetts, the rest from elsewhere.

4% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
89.7%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$12,436
Out-of-state tuition
$21,381
Room & board
$15,386
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$26,026
Average net price
$16,068

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
56%
Graduated on time (4 years)
46%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,803
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$48,102
Median debt at graduation
$23,750
Students with federal loans
61%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
55%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
46%
Low-income (Pell)
55%
First-generation
54%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,020
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$8,200
Meal plan (year)
$6,324
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
231 (139 men · 92 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Soccer49
Ice Hockey46
Baseball35
Softball22
Basketball19
Lacrosse16
Volleyball16
Other Sports12
Golf11
Cross Country5

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (896 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

4.0reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
2.0
Rape
1.7
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,845
$30–48k
$10,762
$48–75k
$13,250
$75–110k
$15,958
$110k+
$22,698

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$56,336

$13,250/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,140
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 97% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,140. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 177 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$48,102
Typical debt at graduation
$23,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
50%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$50,423
Men
$44,849

Women out-earn men by $5,574 (12%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
81°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
42.3″
Annual snow
77.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, North Adams Harriman AP, MA US station (3.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts side by side →

Colleges near Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.