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Colleges in and near North Reading

North Shore Community College is 6 miles from North Reading

No college sits inside North Reading’s boundary, but North Shore Community College’s campus in Danvers, with 3,919 students on campus, is 6 miles from the center of town. About 4% of North Reading’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 North Reading. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
20
91,046 students on campus
Nearest college
6 mi
North Shore
Residents in college
4%
Below MA (8%)
Nearest community college
6 mi
North Shore · $5,352 tuition
Nearest public university
11.2 mi
Salem State · $12,338 in-state
Median household income
$148K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from North Reading

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

A community college 6 miles awayNorth Shore Community College has 3,919 students on campus in Danvers, 18% of whom graduate within three years.In-state price at Salem StateLiving in Massachusetts, Salem State University charges $12,338 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $19,531. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 4% of residentsBelow Massachusetts (8%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of North Reading

15 private colleges within 15 miles, two public colleges within 13.4 miles, and four community colleges.

5 mi10 mi15 miHarvard UniversityTufts UniversityUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellNorth Reading
University or collegeCommunity college
North Shore Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 3,919 on campus · 6 mi · Danvers$9knet price18%graduate$45kearningsTuition and fees: $5,352 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Merrimack CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 4,664 on campus · 6.5 mi · North Andover70%admitted$38knet price70%graduate$76kearningsMassachusetts School of LawUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 284 on campus · 9.3 mi · AndoverGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Middlesex Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 6,225 on campus · 10.4 mi · Bedford$3knet price23%graduate$51kearningsTuition and fees: $6,048 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of NursingCommunity college · Private nonprofit · 195 on campus · 10.6 mi · Medford$101kearningsMontserrat College of ArtUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 275 on campus · 10.8 mi · Beverly$33knet price53%graduate$33kearningsSalem State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 5,395 on campus · 11.2 mi · Salem96%admitted$16knet price50%graduate$57kearningsTufts UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 12,718 on campus · 11.9 mi · Medford11%admitted$40knet price94%graduate$83kearningsGordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,081 on campus · 12.3 mi · South HamiltonGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Endicott CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,226 on campus · 12.5 mi · Beverly71%admitted$41knet price76%graduate$58kearningsUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellUniversity or college · Public · 11,742 on campus · 13.4 mi · Lowell83%admitted$17knet price65%graduate$65kearningsGordon CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,403 on campus · 13.4 mi · Wenham69%admitted$25knet price69%graduate$52kearningsCambridge CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 758 on campus · 13.6 mi · Boston · mostly online$31knet price11%graduate$46kearnings61% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Lesley UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,519 on campus · 13.8 mi · Cambridge97%admitted$31knet price58%graduate$51kearningsLongy School of Music of Bard CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 277 on campus · 13.9 mi · Cambridge$39knet price78%graduate$47kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.Bunker Hill Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,800 on campus · 14.1 mi · Boston$8knet price13%graduate$48kearningsTuition and fees: $6,168 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,125 on campus · 14.1 mi · Boston$87kearningsHarvard UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 22,636 on campus · 14.2 mi · Cambridge4%admitted$19knet price98%graduate$102kearningsHult International Business SchoolUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,636 on campus · 14.4 mi · Cambridge60%admitted$45knet price67%graduateBentley UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 5,168 on campus · 15 mi · Waltham45%admitted$38knet price87%graduate$121kearnings

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 North Reading’s median household income ($147,768) falls.

Middlesex Community College10.4 mi · Bedford · sticker $10,342 · tuition $6,048$8,426a year
North Shore Community College6 mi · Danvers · sticker $15,896 · tuition $5,352$13,158a year
Bunker Hill Community College14.1 mi · Boston · sticker $14,899 · tuition $6,168$13,790a year
Salem State University11.2 mi · Salem · sticker $28,291$23,223a year
University of Massachusetts-Lowell13.4 mi · Lowell · sticker $30,786$26,139a year
Gordon College13.4 mi · Wenham · sticker $42,446$27,138a year
Lesley University13.8 mi · Cambridge · sticker $51,538$35,152a year
Montserrat College of Art10.8 mi · Beverly · sticker $58,616$39,001a year
Merrimack College6.5 mi · North Andover · sticker $70,038$41,050a year
Endicott College12.5 mi · Beverly · sticker $59,328$43,598a year
Bentley University15 mi · Waltham · sticker $79,548$49,190a year
Harvard University14.2 mi · Cambridge · sticker $85,540$53,337a year
Tufts University11.9 mi · Medford · sticker $88,300$58,570a year
Hult International Business School14.4 mi · Cambridge · sticker $79,075$59,075a year
Cambridge College13.6 mi · Boston · mostly online · sticker $34,072—a year
Longy School of Music of Bard College13.9 mi · Cambridge · sticker $72,450—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 North Reading: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k$120k$140k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →MiddlesexSalem StateTufts UniversityUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellBunker HillHarvard University
Harvard University98% graduate$102k earnings$14k typical debt
Tufts University94% graduate$83k earnings$16k typical debt
University of Massachusetts-Lowell65% graduate$65k earnings$24k 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
Bentley University87% graduate$121k earnings$25k typical debt
Merrimack College70% graduate$76k earnings$27k typical debt
North Shore Community College18% graduate$45k earnings$9k typical debt
Endicott College76% graduate$58k earnings$27k typical debt
Lesley University58% graduate$51k earnings$21k typical debt
Gordon College69% graduate$52k earnings$26k 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).

Questions about college near North Reading

Is North Reading a college town?

No. About 4 of every 100 North Reading residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Massachusetts (8). The nearest campus, North Shore Community College, is 6 miles away in Danvers.

What colleges are near North Reading?

20 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Harvard University (14.2 miles, 22,636 students on campus), Tufts University (11.9 miles, 12,718) and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell (13.4 miles, 11,742).

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

North Shore Community College in Danvers, 6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,352 a year for Massachusetts residents; the federal net price, $9,000, 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.

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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 North Reading. 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 →