Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0Salem State University is 6 miles from Nahant
No college sits inside Nahant’s boundary, but Salem State University’s campus in Salem, with 5,395 students on campus, is 6 miles from the center of town, and Bunker Hill Community College is 8.7 miles away in Boston. About 4% of Nahant’s residents are enrolled in college, below Massachusetts (8%).
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 Nahant. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Nahant
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Nahant
35 private colleges within 14.4 miles, three public colleges within 11.2 miles, and five community colleges.
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 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.
Starts at Over $110k, where Nahant’s median household income ($112,762) falls.
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.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Nahant: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
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: Northeastern University (3); Longy School of Music of Bard College (3).
Questions about college near Nahant
Is Nahant a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Nahant residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Massachusetts (8). The nearest campus, Salem State University, is 6 miles away in Salem.
What colleges are near Nahant?
42 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Boston University (11.1 miles, 32,537 students on campus), Northeastern University (10.6 miles, 29,851) and Harvard University (11.1 miles, 22,636).
What is the closest community college to Nahant, and what does it cost?
Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, 8.7 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,168 a year for Massachusetts residents; the federal net price, $7,818, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Salem State University cost if we live in Massachusetts?
Tuition and fees are $12,338 a year in-state and $19,531 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,516 (under $30,000 income) to $23,223 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
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 Nahant. 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 →