Massachusetts College
of Liberal Arts
Public College in North Adams, MA. Six-year graduation rate 56%. Median 10-year earnings $48,102.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $48,102 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 56% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $23,750, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 90%, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts takes nearly everyone who applies. The applicant pool is small at 1,208, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. Only 12% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts →Academics
Completion is middling: 56% finish inside six years. 76% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in four are gone before sophomore year. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. The 8:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 748 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $16,544 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $9,845 at the $0–30k band to $22,698 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 92% of students receive it, averaging $9,946. Most students borrow — 68% take federal loans to cover the gap.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 189 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,845 |
| $30–48k | $10,762 |
| $48–75k | $13,250 |
| $75–110k | $15,958 |
| $110k+ | $22,698 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 508 of these 748 students, totalling $3,695,505 — an average of $7,275 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Berkshire County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)