Public · University

University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Lowell, Massachusetts · Large suburb

83.0%
Admit rate
$17,163
Avg net price
65%
Graduation rate
$64,874
Median earnings

University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Lowell, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 11,434 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 11,434 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 83% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
83.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1180–1370
Avg GPA (est.)
3.59

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

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

About Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell is a city in Massachusetts, United States. The Pawtucket Falls, which provided the hydropower for Lowell's industry in the 1800s, also served as an important seasonal fishing site for native people at the time of European colonization in the 1600s. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
24 miles to Boston, MA
To the ocean
24 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Laurence G Hanscom Field (BED)

How University of Massachusetts-Lowell compares

Selectivity83.0%

More selective than 39% · #45 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

SAT average1285

Higher than 77%

Graduation rate65%

Higher than 68% · #39 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention84%

Higher than 74%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$64,874

Higher than 77% · #31 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$17,163

Cheaper than 63% · #9 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$23,704

Lower than 47%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment11,434

Larger than 90%

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

University of Massachusetts-Lowell campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

15,910students
  • Undergraduate11,43472%
  • Graduate4,47628%

Undergraduates by gender

11,434undergrads
  • Women4,96743%
  • Men6,46757%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White49%
  • Black10%
  • Hispanic17%
  • Asian14%
  • Other or multiracial9.1%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
11,434
Graduate enrollment
4,476
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
32%
Students over 25
18%
Median family income
$53,801
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$128,475
Endowment
$210,448,000

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

Admissions

Admission rate
83.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1180–1370
SAT average
1285
SAT reading
590–680
SAT math
590–690
ACT composite
25–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.59

Cost

In-state tuition
$16,966
Out-of-state tuition
$36,264
Room & board
$16,148
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$30,786
Average net price
$17,163

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)
65%
Graduated on time (4 years)
45%
First-year retention
84%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$61,467
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$64,874
Median debt at graduation
$23,704
Students with federal loans
53%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

About 20% 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
45%
Low-income (Pell)
56%
First-generation
55%

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
4,135
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
36%
Housing charge (year)
$8,930
Meal plan (year)
$5,690
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
647 (391 men · 256 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 (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)363
Lacrosse83
Soccer61
Baseball38
Ice Hockey32
Basketball30
Field Hockey24
Softball16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
25
Property offenses (2022–2024)
55

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (16,598 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.

27reported offenses a year
8.3 violent a year18 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
15
Rape
5.0
Burglary
3.3
Fondling
3.0
Robbery
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
$9,943
$30–48k
$10,199
$48–75k
$12,141
$75–110k
$16,460
$110k+
$26,139

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
$54,273

$12,141/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.

78%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,469
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 78% — get grant money from University of Massachusetts-Lowell itself, averaging $8,469, 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 1,890 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)
$64,874
Typical debt at graduation
$23,704
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
74%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$55,342
Men
$78,281

Men out-earn women by $22,939 (41%) 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
85°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
48.5″
Annual snow
66.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lowell, MA US station (2 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-Lowell

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

Colleges near University of Massachusetts-Lowell

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.