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Medford Square, Medford MAPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0
Colleges in and near Medford

Medford is home to two colleges, with about 13,000 students on campus

Tufts University (12,718 students on campus) and Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (195) are inside the city, and Boston University (32,537) is 5 miles from the center, in Boston. About 11% of Medford’s residents are enrolled in college, above Massachusetts (8%).

Tufts UniversityLesley UniversityHarvard UniversityBunker Hill Community CollegeHult International Business SchoolMGH Institute of Health ProfessionsMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyBoston University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Medford. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
51
238,529 students on campus
Nearest college
0.1 mi
Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing
Residents in college
11%
Above MA (8%)
Nearest community college
0.1 mi
Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing · $31,038 tuition
Nearest public university
6.1 mi
Massachusetts College of Art and Design · $15,400 in-state
Median household income
$130K
prices below start here

What stands out about college in Medford

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

Eight colleges within 5 milesTufts University admits 11% of applicants; Lesley University admits 97%; Harvard University admits 4%. Together they have 90,826 students on campus.A community college 0.1 miles awayLawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Medford: tuition and fees $31,038 a year for Massachusetts residents.In-state price at Massachusetts College of Art and DesignLiving in Massachusetts, Massachusetts College of Art and Design charges $15,400 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $43,400. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 11% of residentsAbove Massachusetts (8%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Medford

42 private colleges within 14.7 miles, three public colleges within 12.4 miles, and seven community colleges.

5 mi10 mi15 miBoston UniversityNortheastern UniversityHarvard UniversityMedford
University or collegeCommunity college
Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of NursingCommunity college · Private nonprofit · 195 on campus · In Medford$101kearningsTufts UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 12,718 on campus · In Medford11%admitted$40knet price94%graduate$83kearningsLesley UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,519 on campus · 3.1 mi · Cambridge97%admitted$31knet price58%graduate$51kearningsLongy School of Music of Bard CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 277 on campus · 3.2 mi · Cambridge$39knet price78%graduate$47kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.Harvard UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 22,636 on campus · 3.5 mi · Cambridge4%admitted$19knet price98%graduate$102kearningsCambridge CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 758 on campus · 3.5 mi · Boston · mostly online$31knet price11%graduate$46kearnings61% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Bunker Hill Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,800 on campus · 4 mi · Boston$8knet price13%graduate$48kearningsTuition and fees: $6,168 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Hult International Business SchoolUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,636 on campus · 4.2 mi · Cambridge60%admitted$45knet price67%graduateMGH Institute of Health ProfessionsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,125 on campus · 4.4 mi · Boston$87kearningsMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 11,855 on campus · 4.6 mi · Cambridge5%admitted$20knet price96%graduate$143kearningsBoston UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 32,537 on campus · 5 mi · Boston11%admitted$24knet price89%graduate$83kearningsFisher CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 737 on campus · 5.1 mi · Boston · mostly online71%admitted$27knet price28%graduate$50kearnings51% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.New England College of OptometryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 529 on campus · 5.1 mi · BostonGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Suffolk UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 6,596 on campus · 5.2 mi · Boston82%admitted$30knet price61%graduate$68kearningsBoston Architectural CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 410 on campus · 5.4 mi · Boston$26knet price32%graduate$62kearningsBerklee College of MusicUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 6,560 on campus · 5.5 mi · Boston44%admitted$49knet price67%graduate$34kearningsEmerson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 4,965 on campus · 5.5 mi · Boston51%admitted$49knet price77%graduate$63kearningsNew England Law-BostonUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,083 on campus · 5.5 mi · BostonGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Emmanuel CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,924 on campus · 5.8 mi · Boston76%admitted$27knet price68%graduate$68kearningsBenjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 512 on campus · 5.8 mi · Boston$15knet price46%graduate$58kearningsNortheastern UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 29,851 on campus · 5.9 mi · Boston5%admitted$31knet price91%graduate$93kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.Northeastern University Professional ProgramsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 4,901 on campus · 5.9 mi · Boston$93kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.Simmons UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,745 on campus · 5.9 mi · Boston70%admitted$25knet price72%graduate$63kearningsThe New England Conservatory of MusicUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 784 on campus · 5.9 mi · Boston41%admitted$47knet price73%graduate$34kearningsBoston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis IncUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 165 on campus · 6 mi · BrooklineGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.MCPHS UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 5,353 on campus · 6.1 mi · Boston85%admitted$40knet price62%graduate$126kearningsWentworth Institute of TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,885 on campus · 6.1 mi · Boston91%admitted$34knet price68%graduate$83kearningsMassachusetts College of Art and DesignUniversity or college · Public · 1,941 on campus · 6.1 mi · Boston76%admitted$24knet price69%graduate$44kearningsSaint John's SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 120 on campus · 6.1 mi · BrightonBentley UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 5,168 on campus · 6.4 mi · Waltham45%admitted$38knet price87%graduate$121kearningsRoxbury Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 1,631 on campus · 6.6 mi · Roxbury Crossing$12knet price28%graduate$39kearningsTuition and fees: $6,024 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Boston CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 14,512 on campus · 6.8 mi · Chestnut Hill16%admitted$42knet price91%graduate$104kearningsHellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of TheologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 125 on campus · 7.5 mi · Brookline80%admitted$25knet price44%graduate$52kearningsUniversity of Massachusetts-BostonUniversity or college · Public · 14,204 on campus · 8.5 mi · Boston84%admitted$18knet price49%graduate$66kearningsBrandeis UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 4,978 on campus · 8.7 mi · Waltham40%admitted$36knet price86%graduate$77kearningsLasell UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,271 on campus · 8.9 mi · Newton81%admitted$28knet price59%graduate$50kearningsHebrew CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 167 on campus · 9.1 mi · NewtonWilliam James CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 851 on campus · 10.1 mi · NewtonMiddlesex Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 6,225 on campus · 10.9 mi · Bedford$3knet price23%graduate$51kearningsTuition and fees: $6,048 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,620 on campus · 11 mi · Wellesley Hills$7knet price17%graduate$53kearningsTuition and fees: $5,856 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Regis CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,166 on campus · 11.4 mi · Weston · mostly online70%admitted$27knet price72%graduate$53kearnings59% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Laboure College of HealthcareUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 520 on campus · 11.6 mi · Milton50%admitted$37knet price100%graduate$62kearningsEastern Nazarene CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 444 on campus · 11.7 mi · QuincyBabson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,646 on campus · 11.8 mi · Wellesley17%admitted$41knet price93%graduate$124kearningsFranklin W Olin College of EngineeringUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 402 on campus · 12 mi · Needham25%admitted$25knet price96%graduate$129kearningsSalem State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 5,395 on campus · 12.4 mi · Salem96%admitted$16knet price50%graduate$57kearningsCurry CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,805 on campus · 12.9 mi · Milton88%admitted$29knet price51%graduate$54kearningsQuincy CollegeCommunity college · Public · 1,670 on campus · 13 mi · Quincy$17knet price15%graduate$53kearningsTuition and fees: $8,938 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.North Shore Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 3,919 on campus · 13.5 mi · Danvers$9knet price18%graduate$45kearningsTuition and fees: $5,352 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Wellesley CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,418 on campus · 13.6 mi · Wellesley14%admitted$25knet price92%graduate$85kearningsMontserrat College of ArtUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 275 on campus · 14.7 mi · Beverly$33knet price53%graduate$33kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at Over $110k, where Medford’s median household income ($129,540) falls.

Middlesex Community College10.9 mi · Bedford · sticker $10,342 · tuition $6,048$8,426a year
North Shore Community College13.5 mi · Danvers · sticker $15,896 · tuition $5,352$13,158a year
Massachusetts Bay Community College11 mi · Wellesley Hills · sticker $14,185 · tuition $5,856$13,317a year
Bunker Hill Community College4 mi · Boston · sticker $14,899 · tuition $6,168$13,790a year
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology5.8 mi · Boston · sticker $30,406$21,375a year
Quincy College13 mi · Quincy · sticker $22,528 · tuition $8,938$21,920a year
Salem State University12.4 mi · Salem · sticker $28,291$23,223a year
University of Massachusetts-Boston8.5 mi · Boston · sticker $30,544$25,571a year
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering12 mi · Needham · sticker $86,474$27,096a year
Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology7.5 mi · Brookline · sticker $41,282$29,993a year
Fisher College5.1 mi · Boston · mostly online · sticker $53,921$30,661a year
Emmanuel College5.8 mi · Boston · sticker $65,252$30,832a year
Massachusetts College of Art and Design6.1 mi · Boston · sticker $34,239$31,882a year
Simmons University5.9 mi · Boston · sticker $63,460$32,777a year
Lasell University8.9 mi · Newton · sticker $42,434$32,947a year
Regis College11.4 mi · Weston · mostly online · sticker $65,546$33,106a year
Curry College12.9 mi · Milton · sticker $64,020$33,973a year
Lesley University3.1 mi · Cambridge · sticker $51,538$35,152a year
Suffolk University5.2 mi · Boston · sticker $65,281$36,264a year
Wentworth Institute of Technology6.1 mi · Boston · sticker $61,096$38,272a year
Montserrat College of Art14.7 mi · Beverly · sticker $58,616$39,001a year
MCPHS University6.1 mi · Boston · sticker $65,022$43,470a year
The New England Conservatory of Music5.9 mi · Boston · sticker $81,277$47,387a year
Boston University5 mi · Boston · sticker $86,285$47,504a year
Northeastern University5.9 mi · Boston · sticker $84,641$47,696a year
Massachusetts Institute of Technology4.6 mi · Cambridge · sticker $82,730$48,479a year
Bentley University6.4 mi · Waltham · sticker $79,548$49,190a year
Harvard University3.5 mi · Cambridge · sticker $85,540$53,337a year
Wellesley College13.6 mi · Wellesley · sticker $86,290$54,188a year
Berklee College of Music5.5 mi · Boston · sticker $72,700$54,676a year
Brandeis University8.7 mi · Waltham · sticker $86,448$54,885a year
Emerson College5.5 mi · Boston · sticker $80,399$57,288a year
Tufts UniversityIn Medford · sticker $88,300$58,570a year
Hult International Business School4.2 mi · Cambridge · sticker $79,075$59,075a year
Boston College6.8 mi · Chestnut Hill · sticker $89,493$60,308a year
Babson College11.8 mi · Wellesley · sticker $80,192$80,192a year
Longy School of Music of Bard College3.2 mi · Cambridge · sticker $72,450—a year
Cambridge College3.5 mi · Boston · mostly online · sticker $34,072—a year
Boston Architectural College5.4 mi · Boston · sticker $40,343—a year
Roxbury Community College6.6 mi · Roxbury Crossing · sticker $16,621 · tuition $6,024—a year
Laboure College of Healthcare11.6 mi · Milton · sticker $36,863—a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Medford: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k$120k$140k$160k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Boston UniversityBoston CollegeUniversity of Massachusetts-Boston
Boston University89% graduate$83k earnings$23k typical debt
Northeastern University91% graduate$93k earnings*$24k typical debt
Harvard University98% graduate$102k earnings$14k typical debt
Boston College91% graduate$104k earnings$19k typical debt
University of Massachusetts-Boston49% graduate$66k earnings$22k typical debt
Tufts University94% graduate$83k earnings$16k typical debt
Massachusetts Institute of Technology96% graduate$143k earnings$15k typical debt
Suffolk University61% graduate$68k earnings$27k typical debt
Berklee College of Music67% graduate$34k earnings$25k typical debt
Middlesex Community College23% graduate$51k earnings$7k typical debt
Bunker Hill Community College13% graduate$48k earnings$10k typical debt
Salem State University50% graduate$57k earnings$25k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Longy School of Music of Bard College (3); Northeastern University (3).

Majors

What students study in Medford

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Medford’s 2 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Social sciences 20%Engineering 12%Interdisciplinary 12%Computer science 12%Biology 11%Visual & performing arts 8%Everything else 25%

Biggest programs

EconomicsTufts University · 217 graduates a year
$124k4 yrs out
Computer ScienceTufts University · 211 graduates a year
$156k4 yrs out
International Relations and National Security StudiesTufts University · 153 graduates a year
$78k4 yrs out
Biology, GeneralTufts University · 147 graduates a year
$77k4 yrs out
Research and Experimental PsychologyTufts University · 97 graduates a year
$80k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingLawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing · 90 graduates a year
$88k4 yrs out
Fine and Studio ArtsTufts University · 88 graduates a year
$41k4 yrs out
Political Science and GovernmentTufts University · 81 graduates a year
$78k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Medford

Is Medford a college town?

No. About 11 of every 100 Medford residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), above Massachusetts (8). The largest campus in the city, Tufts University, has 12,718 students on campus.

What colleges are in Medford?

Tufts University and Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing are inside the city. Boston University is 5 miles from the center, in Boston, Harvard University is 3.5 miles from the center, in Cambridge, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology is 4.6 miles from the center, in Cambridge.

What is the closest community college to Medford, and what does it cost?

Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Medford, 0.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $31,038 a year for Massachusetts residents.

How much does Massachusetts College of Art and Design cost if we live in Massachusetts?

Tuition and fees are $15,400 a year in-state and $43,400 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $16,351 (under $30,000 income) to $31,882 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Medford. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →