MCLA Continues to Earn Multiple Spots on U.S. News College Rankings

NORTH ADAMS — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ (MCLA) continued commitment to an excellent, affordable education is reflected in the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The college now ranks seventh on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts Colleges for the second year in a row, 33rd as a Top Performer on Social Mobility among national liberal-arts colleges, and first among all Massachusetts liberal-arts schools. MCLA also continues to appear on the list of Top National Liberal Arts Colleges.

MCLA has appeared on U.S. News’ list of Top Public Colleges for 10 of the past 12 years. The college has also been acknowledged in the list of National Liberal Arts Colleges for Social Mobility since the organization adopted this ranking in 2019. This list measures how well institutions graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants, typically awarded to students whose families make less than $50,000, though most Pell Grant money goes to families with income below $20,000.

Slightly more than 42% of MCLA undergraduate students receive Pell Grants, and 51.4% are the first in their families to go to college. Overall, 93.1% of students receive some kind of financial aid.

“As we once again appear in the Top Public College rankings, I feel immense gratitude toward my colleagues who support our Trailblazers in achieving their academic goals,” MCLA President James Birge said. “From faculty and staff strengthening and growing programs to the exceptional student body striving for academic excellence and fulfilling lives, I am grateful to work at an institution with a mission of advancing equity, social mobility, and serving under-resourced students.”

U.S. News ranks colleges based on indicators that reflect a school’s student body, its faculty, and its financial resources, along with outcome measures that signal how well the institution achieves its mission of educating students.

“I am incredibly impressed by MCLA’s continued success — an institution that is consistently recognized as a Top Public College,” said Brenda Burdick, chair of the MCLA board of trustees. “The work that has been done to remain in the top-10 standings is extraordinary. With our excellent faculty and staff dedicated to growing and strengthening the college’s programs, I am proud to see affordable and accessible college education at the forefront of the college’s mission.”