Public · Academy

Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts · Large suburb

94.7%
Admit rate
$21,582
Avg net price
74%
Graduation rate
$82,392
Median earnings

Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,395 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,395 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 95% admitNCAA Division III with football · Massachusetts State College Athletic AssociationCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

Buzzards Bay is a census-designated place in the town of Bourne in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Buzzards Bay was originally Wampanoag territory. The "buzzards" for which the town was named were most likely turkey vultures or ospreys. Buzzards Bay was settled by Europeans in 1621. Buzzards Bay is home to the National Marine Life Center, a marine animal hospital, science, and education center dedicated to rehabilitating for release stranded sea turtles, and seals to advance scientific knowledge and education in marine wildlife health and conservation. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
< 1 mile
Nearest airport
18 miles to New Bedford (EWB)

How Massachusetts Maritime Academy compares

Selectivity94.7%

More selective than 14% · #60 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

Graduation rate74%

Higher than 84% · #26 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention87%

Higher than 80%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$82,392

Higher than 92% · #18 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$21,582

Cheaper than 43% · #17 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,395

Larger than 47%

Percentiles compare Massachusetts Maritime Academy 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

1,481students
  • Undergraduate1,39594%
  • Graduate866%

Undergraduates by gender

1,395undergrads
  • Women17913%
  • Men1,21687%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black1.4%
  • Hispanic6.0%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,395
Graduate enrollment
86
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
19%
First-generation students
21%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$108,367
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$90,657
Endowment
$56,133,736

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

Admissions

Admission rate
94.7%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,420
Out-of-state tuition
$23,722
Room & board
$14,990
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$31,367
Average net price
$21,582

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)
74%
Graduated on time (4 years)
63%
First-year retention
87%
Transferred to another college
2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$80,424
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$82,392
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
81%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
83%

About 11% 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
63%
Low-income (Pell)
74%
First-generation
73%

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
1,420
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$8,714
Meal plan (year)
$5,812
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Massachusetts State College Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
513 (382 men · 131 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)

Football125
Lacrosse77
Rowing53
Soccer53
Track and Field (Outdoor)53
Baseball47
Cross Country33
Sailing33
Volleyball21
Softball18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,488 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.

1.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Arson
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
$8,757
$30–48k
$9,051
$48–75k
$10,547
$75–110k
$15,557
$110k+
$27,367

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
$44,504

$10,547/year × about 4.2 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.

66%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$12,694
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 66% — get grant money from Massachusetts Maritime Academy itself, averaging $12,694, which softens the sticker price.

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 317 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)
$82,392
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
30%
Out-earn a HS grad
86%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.0 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.

Campus climate

Summer high
81°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
51.1″
Annual snow
37.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, E Wareham, MA US station (3 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 Maritime Academy

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Massachusetts Maritime Academy side by side →

Colleges near Massachusetts Maritime Academy

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.