Public · Community college

Middlesex Community College

Bedford, Massachusetts · Large suburb

#1 best value in Massachusetts

21%
Transfer rate: $2,624
Avg net price: 23%
Grad / completion: $50,651
Median earnings

Middlesex Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Bedford, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 5,412 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 5,412 undergradsLarge suburbCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Bedford, Massachusetts

Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The following compilation comes from Ellen Abrams (1999) based on information from Abram English Brown's History of the Town of Bedford (1891), as well as other sources such as The Bedford Sampler Bicentennial Edition containing Daisy Pickman Oakley's articles, Bedford Vital Records, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Town Directories, and other publications from the Bedford Historical Society. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 16 miles to Boston, MA
To the ocean: 16 miles
Nearest airport: 4 miles to Laurence G Hanscom Field (BED)

How Middlesex Community College compares

#47 · Community Colleges with the Highest Graduate Earnings

Graduation rate23%

Higher than 7% · #41 of 52 in Massachusetts

First-year retention64%

Higher than 30%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,651

Higher than 91% · #10 of 34 in Massachusetts

Average net price$2,624

Cheaper than 97% · #1 cheapest of 52 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$7,291

Lower than 82%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment5,412

Larger than 92%

Percentiles compare Middlesex Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Massachusetts.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women3,24160%
Men2,17140%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White44%
Black11%
Hispanic23%
Asian14%
Other or multiracial9.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 5,412
Student–faculty ratio: 21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 20%
First-generation students: 50%
Students over 25: 24%
Median family income: $27,308
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $77,562

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $6,048
Out-of-state tuition: $12,120
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,200
Total cost of attendance: $10,342
Average net price: $2,624

Outcomes

Graduated: 23%
First-year retention: 64%
Transferred to another college: 21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $40,318
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $50,651
Median debt at graduation: $7,291
Students with federal loans: 5%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 52%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

23%

Low-income (Pell)

23%

First-generation

24%

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: No
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.3reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

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

$943

$30–48k

$1,646

$48–75k

$1,399

$75–110k

$4,356

$110k+

$8,426

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.

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.

33%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,856

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 33% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,856. 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 424 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): $50,651
Typical debt at graduation: $7,291
Debt vs. one year's pay: 14%
Out-earn a HS grad: 55%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.4 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

$47,248

Men

$57,123

Men out-earn women by $9,875 (21%) 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: 84°F
Winter low: 18°F
Annual rain: 48.9″
Annual snow: 59″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bedford, MA US station (2.9 mi from campus).

What Middlesex Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

235 grads$31k 1 yr$46k 5 yr$8k debt

235$31,451$45,804$7,928 Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

125 grads$36k 1 yr$56k 5 yr$8k debt

125$36,446$56,230$7,551 Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/TechniciansCert.

57 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

57———Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

48 grads— 1 yr$78k 5 yr$11k debt

48—$77,823$11,245 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

44 grads$75k 1 yr— 5 yr$16k debt

44$75,351—$15,988 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

27 grads$28k 1 yr$36k 5 yr— debt

27$27,981$36,124—Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

25 grads$42k 1 yr$52k 5 yr$11k debt

25$41,796$52,409$10,950 Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

25 grads$55k 1 yr$54k 5 yr$16k debt

25$55,428$53,609$16,100 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

24 grads$63k 1 yr$71k 5 yr$14k debt

24$63,037$71,082$13,971 Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, OtherAssoc.

21 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$11k debt

21——$11,280 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$8k debt

20——$8,250 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, OtherAssoc.

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———

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 Middlesex Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Middlesex Community College side by side →

West Valley College

Public

Saratoga, California · Large suburb · 8 mi to San Jose

Students: 6,416
Tuition: $0
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $52k

Northern Essex Community College

Public

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Students: 3,685
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $43k

Middlesex College

Public

Edison, New Jersey · Large suburb · 24 mi to New York

Students: 8,469
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $47k

Massachusetts Bay Community College

Public

Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 11 mi to Boston

Students: 3,837
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 26%
Earnings: $53k

Irvine Valley College

Public

Irvine, California · Large city · 31 mi to Riverside

Students: 10,286
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $49k

Moraine Valley Community College

Public

Palos Hills, Illinois · Large suburb · 17 mi to Chicago

Students: 7,490
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $44k

Colleges near Middlesex Community College

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Lowell Academy Hairstyling Institute

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University of Massachusetts-Lowell

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Bentley University

Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,474 students

10 mi

Greater Lowell Technical School

Tyngsboro, MA · Public · Certificate · 80 students

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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.