Public · College
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
North Adams, Massachusetts · Fringe town
- 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.
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
More selective than 25% · #56 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 52% · #47 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 48%
Higher than 33% · #55 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 68% · #5 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 46%
Lower than 89%
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
- Undergraduate71387%
- Graduate10213%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, North Adams Harriman AP, MA US station (3.5 mi from campus).
What Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts graduates study — and earn
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 →
Northern State University
Aberdeen, South Dakota · Remote town · 128 mi to Fargo
- Students
- 1,273
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1089
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $48k
University of Maine at Farmington
Farmington, Maine · Remote rural · 70 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,140
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1130
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $44k
Montana Technological University
Butte, Montana · Remote town · 90 mi to Missoula
- Students
- 1,480
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1126
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $54k
Mississippi University for Women
Columbus, Mississippi · Remote town · 93 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 1,605
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $46k
The University of Montana-Western
Dillon, Montana · Remote town · 132 mi to Missoula
- Students
- 1,198
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $43k
Western Colorado University
Gunnison, Colorado · Remote town · 115 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 1,586
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1230
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Charles H McCann Technical School
North Adams, MA · Public · Certificate · 41 students
Williams College
Williamstown, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,076 students
Bennington College
Bennington, VT · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 780 students
Berkshire Community College
Pittsfield, MA · Public · Associate · 1,358 students
Greenfield Community College
Greenfield, MA · Public · Associate · 1,395 students
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,714 students
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing
Troy, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 129 students
Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, NY · Public · Associate · 6,499 students
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.












