Public · University

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Boston, Massachusetts · Large city

83.8%
Admit rate
$17,707
Avg net price
49%
Graduation rate
$65,865
Median earnings

University of Massachusetts-Boston is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Boston, Massachusetts (large city setting), enrolling 11,512 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 11,512 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 84% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Massachusetts-Boston's admitted students.

Admit rate
83.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1070–1290
Avg GPA (est.)
3.42

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Massachusetts-Boston's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Massachusetts-Boston's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. In 1630, settlers led by John Winthrop arrived, and found Shawmut Peninsula nearly empty of Native people. Most had died of European diseases borne by earlier settlers and traders. Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-rhotic Eastern New England accent known as the Boston accent and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on seafood, salt, and dairy products. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Boston, MA
To the ocean
< 1 mile
Nearest airport
4 miles to Boston Logan (BOS) · major hub

How University of Massachusetts-Boston compares

Selectivity83.8%

More selective than 37% · #48 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

SAT average1194

Higher than 57%

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 38% · #58 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention70%

Higher than 32%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$65,865

Higher than 79% · #30 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$17,707

Cheaper than 61% · #11 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$21,974

Lower than 60%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment11,512

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare University of Massachusetts-Boston 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

14,949students
  • Undergraduate11,51277%
  • Graduate3,43723%

Undergraduates by gender

11,512undergrads
  • Women6,55057%
  • Men4,96243%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White30%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic21%
  • Asian16%
  • Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
11,512
Graduate enrollment
3,437
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
42%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$31,247
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$114,516
Endowment
$171,325,000

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

Admissions

Admission rate
83.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1070–1290
SAT average
1194
SAT reading
540–650
SAT math
530–640
ACT composite
22–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.42

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,908
Out-of-state tuition
$38,125
Room & board
$19,128
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$30,544
Average net price
$17,707

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)
49%
Graduated on time (4 years)
33%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$53,521
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$65,865
Median debt at graduation
$21,974
Students with federal loans
51%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
54%

About 17% 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
33%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
40%

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
1,102
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
10%
Housing charge (year)
$11,332
Meal plan (year)
$6,180
Application fee
$60
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
412 (215 men · 197 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 (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)109
Lacrosse61
Soccer59
Ice Hockey48
Baseball40
Basketball34
Softball22
Tennis21
Volleyball18

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (15,575 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.

2.0reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7
Rape
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
$14,070
$30–48k
$13,558
$48–75k
$15,663
$75–110k
$20,885
$110k+
$25,571

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
$70,674

$15,663/year × about 4.5 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.

86%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,288
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 86% — get grant money from University of Massachusetts-Boston itself, averaging $8,288, 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 2,357 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)
$65,865
Typical debt at graduation
$21,974
Debt vs. one year's pay
33%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 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
$62,003
Men
$69,948

Men out-earn women by $7,945 (13%) 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
82°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
43.6″
Annual snow
49.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Boston Logan Intl AP, MA US station (3.6 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 University of Massachusetts-Boston

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Massachusetts-Boston side by side →

Colleges near University of Massachusetts-Boston

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.