How Central MA Colleges Ranked—Top New England Colleges 2013

Saturday, June 01, 2013

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Clark University

New England is home to some of the top institutions of higher learning in the country, if not the world, and Central Mass is no exception.

For the 2nd Annual Super Ranking of Top New England Colleges 2013, GoLocal combined the nation's top educational rankings with grassroots student-oriented assessments to come up with a new perspective of how each school's complete educational experience compares to other colleges and universities in region.

To see GoLocal's Top New England Colleges 2013, go here.

The rankings

GoLocal utilized a combination of rankings culled from top national sources, including US News & World Report, the Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, and Washington Monthly, as well as Inside College, the Daily Beast, and College Prowler. With data in hand, GoLocal researchers assessed more than 60 different factors, from overall quality rankings both nationally and regionally to rankings for best professors, housing, diversity, nightlife, career preparation and food.

Clark tops Central MA at #27

Worcester's Clark University earned the highest spot of Central Mass schools in the Top New England Colleges 2013 rankings, coming in at #27 and climbing three spots from last year. Clark scored points for its #28 ranking for Best Value by US News & World Report, and the school was also noted as among the top colleges with a social/academic balance.

The liberal arts-based research university, founded in 1887, is home to 3,462 students who study under the school's LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) education model, which combines real-world and workplace experience with a liberal arts curriculum. A full 25 percent of Clark students stay on after graduation to pursue "tuition free" master's degrees in 14 disciplines.

Tuition at Clark runs $38,450 per year, and the school has an admission rate of 67.92 percent.

Holy Cross not far behind

The College of the Holy Cross

The College of the Holy Cross slipped a little in this year's rankings, sliding back to #30 from #20 in 2012. The Worcester school was also ranked #5 for Return on Investment by The Daily Beast.

Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is a Catholic Jesuit school with 2,900 undergrads. The college is known for its Monsterrat Program for first-year students, which forms small groups of students that take the same classes, live in the same themed residence areas, and take part in group activities. It also emphasizes discussion in small seminars and interdisciplinary “clusters.”

With tuition of $43,400 per year, Holy Cross was the most expensive Central MA school in this year's rankings, and it was also the most selective, with an admission rate of 33.12 percent.

WPI up 2 spots in 2013

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) rose from #40 in 2012 to #38 this year. Highlights for WPI included a grade of A- for Academics from College Prowler and a rank of #25 for Foreign Students from The Daily Beast.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WPI is one of the country's first engineering and technology universities, founded back in 1865. The school's 5,778 students pursue more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degrees in 14 academic departments, from engineering and technology to management to the humanities and the arts. WPI's Global Perspective Program, which sends more engineering students abroad than any other US college or university, has earned the school a lot of notice, and there are more than 30 WPI project centers around the globe.

With an admission rate of 56.72 percent, WPI is one of the more selective schools in the area, and its $41,380 per year tuition is also on the higher end in Central Mass.

Other Worcester colleges

Worcester State University

Worcester State University ranked #75 this year, falling from #54 in 2012. The public college was ranked #133 on US News & World Report's Best Northeastern Colleges list and was #45 on the publication's Top Public Colleges list, North region.

Roughly a quarter of Worcester State's 5,277 students live on campus, where business, education and nursing are the most popular programs. The admission rate at Worcester State is 65.4 percent, and it's a good deal for native Bay Staters, with in-state tuition of $8,157 and out-of-state tuition of $14,237.

Across town, Assumption College came in at #80 in 2013, down from #75 last year. US News & World Report ranked Assumption the #38 A+ School for B Students.

Assumption College

A Catholic college, Assumption is home to 2,089 students pursuing undergraduate and master's degrees. The college features the French Institute, a prominent research center for studying French history, language, and culture. Earlier this year, Assumption announced the opening of its Rome, where up to 25 students will be able to immerse themselves in all the Italian capitol has to offer.

Tuition at Assumption runs $33,805 per year, and the college's admission rate is 75.1 percent.

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