🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $16,068/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$12,436 — major value play)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
Total enrollment
713
Under 1,000
In-state tuition
$12,436
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$21,381
+$8,945 vs in-state
Admit rate
92.4%
Accepts the majority
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$48,102
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$36,803
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,102
4-year completion
56%
Median debt (completers)
$23,750
Cost of attendance
$26,026
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
41%

💰 True ROI

7.5× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$64,272
$16,068/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$39,832
vs sticker $104,104
10-yr earnings total
$481,020
$48,102/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.3 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the average net price is $16,068/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$9,845/yr
Family income $30-48k
$10,762/yr
Family income $48-75k
$13,250/yr
Family income $75-110k
$15,958/yr
Family income $110k+
$22,698/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts →

Opens on Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
31 degrees · 24.4%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Psychology
26 degrees · 20.5%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
3. Social Sciences
24 degrees · 18.9%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
4. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
23 degrees · 18.1%
Typical career outcomes
Project Manager $99k Management Analyst $99k Research Analyst $79k
Often paired with another field (data + biology, design + tech). Outcomes match the second discipline.
5. Visual & Performing Arts
23 degrees · 18.1%
Typical career outcomes
Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 18 $80,332 $87,671
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 38 $39,369 $53,753
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 16 $52,808
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 40 $32,855 $49,826
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. Bachelor's Degree 28 $35,293 $47,162
Sociology. Bachelor's Degree 20 $38,631 $44,136
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. Bachelor's Degree 6 $18,675 $42,983
English Language and Literature, General. Bachelor's Degree 19 $29,677 $39,955

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

CS degrees (annual)
6
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

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