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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Massachusetts

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Massachusetts

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

25 Colleges
$11,984 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,152 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies School for You

In 2020-2021, liberal arts general studies students earned 3,382 degrees and certificates from a Massachusetts school, making the subject the 6th in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Massachusetts to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in Massachusetts to see which programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Massachusetts

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

#1

Massachusetts Bay Community College

Wellesley Hills, MA

Our 2023 rankings named Massachusetts Bay Community College the best value school in Massachusetts for liberal arts general studies students. MassBay Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Wellesley Hills.

MassBay Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,376 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at MassBay Community College take out an average of $8,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Massachusetts Bay Community College Report

#2

Cape Cod Community College

West Barnstable, MA
$5,352 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Cape Cod Community College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the small city of West Barnstable, Cape Cod Community College is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cape Cod Community College are $5,352 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Cape Cod Community College take out $5,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Cape Cod Community College Report

#3

Bristol Community College

Fall River, MA
$5,208 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 25 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Bristol Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Fall River, Bristol is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bristol are $5,208 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Bristol take out $7,890 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Out of the 25 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Springfield Technical Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. STCC is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at STCC are $5,520 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from STCC take out $8,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

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The excellent programs at North Shore Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in Massachusetts. North Shore Community College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Danvers.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at North Shore Community College are $5,352 a year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at North Shore Community College accumulate an average of around $9,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at North Shore Community College

Middlesex Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Middlesex Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Bedford.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Middlesex Community College are $6,048 a year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Middlesex Community College carry an average student debtload of $7,625.

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Mount Wachusett Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Located in the rural area of Gardner, MWCC is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MWCC are $5,668 a year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from MWCC carry an average student debtload of $11,000.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Mount Wachusett Community College Report

With a ranking of #8, Northern Essex Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the suburb of Haverhill, NECC is a public college with a small student population.

NECC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,544 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at NECC accumulate an average of around $10,783 in student debt.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Northern Essex Community College Report

$5,160 Average Tuition & Fees

Massasoit Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Massasoit Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Brockton.

Massasoit Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at Massasoit Community College take out an average of $9,889 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#10

Greenfield Community College

Greenfield, MA
$5,642 Average Tuition & Fees

Greenfield Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the distant town of Greenfield, Greenfield Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Greenfield Community College are $5,642 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Greenfield Community College take out is $6,250.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Greenfield Community College

Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Connecticut 2,207
New Hampshire 2,654
Maine 630
Rhode Island 1,275
Vermont 305

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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