New England residents seeking to attend college within a reasonable distance from home have plenty of smart options. Among our list of the top values in private colleges, 32 of them are in New England. Click on any school in the map or list below to get more details about its academic quality and affordability.
Private Universities
Yale University (New Haven, Conn.)
Rank among all private universities: 1
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Prominent alumni: George H.W. Bush, Anderson Cooper, Jodie Foster
Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.)
Rank among all private universities: 4
Prominent alumni: Ben S. Bernanke, President Barack Obama, Mira Sorvino
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Mass.)
Rank among all private universities: 8
Prominent alumni: Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, Kofi Annan, Benjamin Netanyahu
Brown University (Providence, R.I.)
Rank among all private universities: 12
Prominent alumni: Mary Chapin Carpenter, John D. Rockefeller, Ted Turner
Dartmouth College (Hanover, N.H.)
Rank among all private universities: 13
Prominent alumni: Theodor Geisel, Mindy Kaling, Shonda Rhimes
Tufts University (Medford, Mass.)
Rank among all private universities: 20
Prominent alumni: Hank Azaria, Peter Gallagher, Pierre Omidyar
Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Rank among all private universities: 23
Prominent alumni: Doug Flutie, John F. Kerry, Amy Poehler
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, Mass.)
Rank among all private universities: 27
Prominent alumni: Robert H. Goddard, Elwood Haynes, Nancy Pimental
Brandeis University (Waltham, Mass.)
Rank among all private universities: 28
Prominent alumni: Angela Davis, Jeffrey Lurie, Debra Messing
Clark University (Worcester, Mass.)
Rank among all private universities: 35
Prominent alumni: Matthew Goldman, Padma Lakshmi, Hugh Panero
Bentley University (Waltham, Mass.)
Rank among all private universities: 40
Prominent alumni: Joaquin E. Barcardi III, Dave Pietrycha
Emerson College (Boston)
Rank among all private universities: 45
Prominent alumni: Jay Leno, Seth Grahame-Smith, Henry Winkler
Northeastern University (Boston)
Rank among all private universities: 50
Prominent alumni: Gregory Jarvis, Wendy Williams
Boston University (Boston)
Rank among all private universities: 51
Prominent alumni: Barbara Jordan, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Julianne Moore
Providence College (Providence, R.I.)
Rank among all private universities: 60
Prominent alumni: Christopher Dodd, Patrick J. Kennedy
Saint Michael’s College (Colchester, Vt.)
Rank among all private universities: 68
Prominent alumni: Tom Bowman, Tom Freston, Hon. Patrick Leahy
Simmons College (Boston)
Rank among all private universities: 80
Prominent alumni: Ali Brown, Gwen Ifill, Allyson Schwartz
Fairfield University (Fairfield, Conn.)
Rank among all private universities: 97
Prominent alumni: Carmen Wong Ulrich
See top values in liberal arts colleges in New England.
[page break]
Liberal Arts Colleges
Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 4
Prominent alumni: David Strathairn, Steve Case
Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 5
Prominent alumni: Dan Brown, Charles Mann, Jeffrey Wright
Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 6
Prominent alumni: Former U.S. President Franklin Pierce, Nathaniel Hawthorne
Middlebury College (Middlebury, Vt.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 7
Prominent alumni: Ronald H. Brown, Bill Delahunt, Ari Fleischer
Wellesley College (Wellesley, Mass.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 16
Prominent alumni: Hilary Rodham Clinton, Nora Ephron, Diane Sawyer
Wesleyan University (Middleton, Conn.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 17
Prominent alumni: Michael Bay, Robert Allbritton, Robert E. Hunter
Colby College (Waterville, Maine)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 18
Prominent alumni: Dan Harris, Andrea Nix Fine, Cecily von Ziegesar
College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, Mass.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 21
Prominent alumni: Erika Bearman, Chris Matthews, Hon. Clarence Thomas
Bates College (Lewistown, Maine)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 31
Prominent alumni: Robert Goodlatte, Bryant Gumbel, Elizabeth Strout
Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, Mass.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 37
Prominent alumni: Elaine Chao, Emily Dickinson, Frances Perkins
Smith College (North Hampton, Maine)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 40
Prominent alumni: Julia Child, Margaret Mitchell, Nancy Reagan
Connecticut College (New London, Conn.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 42
Prominent alumni: Tim Armstrong, Suzi Oppenheimer, Peter Som
Trinity College (Hartford, Conn.)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 48
Prominent alumni: Edward F. Albee, Mitchell M. Merin, Linda A. Wells
College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, Maine)
Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 70
Prominent alumni: Amy Goodman, Chellie Pingree
See top values in private universities in New England.
-
Trump Targets Student Loan Forgiveness: Here’s How Taxes and Repayment Could Soon ChangeStudent Loans The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill and the Trump administration’s executive action are making the future of student loan forgiveness and its tax consequences uncertain.
-
California, South Florida, Long Island, New Jersey: The Places People Are Leaving in Droves in 2025Skyrocketing costs and shifting priorities mean people are packing up and leaving some cities and states in droves, while others are flocking to more affordable or lifestyle-friendly destinations.
-
Amazon Resale: Where Amazon Prime Returns Become Your Online BargainsFeature Amazon Resale products may have some imperfections, but that often leads to wildly discounted prices.
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2025Roth IRAs Roth IRA contribution limits have gone up. Here's what you need to know.
-
Four Tips for Renting Out Your Home on Airbnbreal estate Here's what you should know before listing your home on Airbnb.
-
Five Ways to a Cheap Last-Minute VacationTravel It is possible to pull off a cheap last-minute vacation. Here are some tips to make it happen.
-
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?insurance When assessing how much life insurance you need, take a systematic approach instead of relying on rules of thumb.
-
When Is Amazon Prime Day? Everything We Know, Plus the Best Deals on Apple, Samsung and MoreAmazon Prime Amazon Prime Day is four days this year. Here are the key details you need to know, plus some of our favorite deals to shop during the sale.
-
How to Shop for Life Insurance in 3 Easy Stepsinsurance Shopping for life insurance? You may be able to estimate how much you need online, but that's just the start of your search.
-
Five Ways to Shop for a Low Mortgage RateBecoming a Homeowner Mortgage rates are high this year, but you can still find an affordable loan with these tips.
