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Colleges in and near Paxton

Paxton is a college town: 16 of every 100 residents are students

Anna Maria College (991 students on campus) is inside the town. Across Massachusetts, 8 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town16% of residents are students

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 Paxton. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
8
28,549 students on campus
Nearest college
1.7 mi
Anna Maria College
Residents in college
16%
Above MA (8%)
Nearest community college
7.4 mi
Quinsigamond · $6,262 tuition
Nearest public university
5.8 mi
Worcester State · $11,786 in-state
Students on campus in Paxton
991
next to 5,046 residents

What stands out about college in Paxton

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

A college town16 of every 100 Paxton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.A college in PaxtonAnna Maria College has 991 students on campus in Paxton, 46% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Worcester StateLiving in Massachusetts, Worcester State University charges $11,786 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $17,866. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 7.4 miles awayQuinsigamond Community College in Worcester: tuition and fees $6,262 a year for Massachusetts residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Paxton

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

16 of every 100 Paxton residents are in college (MA: 8).

991students on campus at Anna Maria College, next to 5,046 residents (dorm students count as residents)
248college students live in Paxton households rather than dorms
41.8median age · MA 40.0
8%of homes rented · MA 38%
$1,386median rent · 21% below the state
Cost of living$1,386/mo median rentCSafetyCrime reported to the FBIAHealthCDC estimatesAJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundAHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Paxton’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income A

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 1.4% of Paxton residents are below the poverty line, 1.5% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 1 points either way). 0% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 16%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health A

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Paxton’s median age is 41.8 (Massachusetts 40.0), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety A

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Paxton

Five private colleges within 8.5 miles, two public colleges within 9.4 miles, and Quinsigamond Community College 7.4 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miWorcester Polytechnic InstituteQuinsigamondWorcester StatePaxton
University or collegeCommunity college
Anna Maria CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 991 on campus · In Paxton50%admitted$28knet price46%graduate$47kearningsWorcester State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 4,994 on campus · 5.8 mi · Worcester88%admitted$13knet price61%graduate$61kearningsAssumption UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,812 on campus · 5.8 mi · Worcester83%admitted$29knet price75%graduate$75kearningsWorcester Polytechnic InstituteUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 6,695 on campus · 7.2 mi · Worcester60%admitted$43knet price90%graduate$103kearningsClark UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 4,118 on campus · 7.3 mi · Worcester40%admitted$29knet price77%graduate$62kearningsQuinsigamond Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,550 on campus · 7.4 mi · Worcester$9knet price22%graduate$46kearningsTuition and fees: $6,262 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.College of the Holy CrossUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,035 on campus · 8.5 mi · Worcester18%admitted$39knet price87%graduate$91kearningsUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolUniversity or college · Public · 1,354 on campus · 9.4 mi · WorcesterGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.

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 Paxton’s median household income ($134,083) falls.

Quinsigamond Community College7.4 mi · Worcester · sticker $15,921 · tuition $6,262$11,361a year
Worcester State University5.8 mi · Worcester · sticker $22,874$19,679a year
Anna Maria CollegeIn Paxton · sticker $61,888$33,305a year
Assumption University5.8 mi · Worcester · sticker $65,551$33,463a year
Clark University7.3 mi · Worcester · sticker $68,432$39,035a year
Worcester Polytechnic Institute7.2 mi · Worcester · sticker $78,679$49,716a year
College of the Holy Cross8.5 mi · Worcester · sticker $80,334$56,284a 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 Paxton: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k$120k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Worcester StateAssumption UniversityWorcester Polytechnic InstituteClark UniversityQuinsigamondCollege of the Holy Cross
Worcester Polytechnic Institute90% graduate$103k earnings$27k typical debt
Quinsigamond Community College22% graduate$46k earnings$17k typical debt
Worcester State University61% graduate$61k earnings$20k typical debt
Clark University77% graduate$62k earnings$27k typical debt
College of the Holy Cross87% graduate$91k earnings$27k typical debt
Assumption University75% graduate$75k earnings$27k typical debt
Anna Maria College46% graduate$47k 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.

Majors

What students study in Paxton

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Anna Maria College, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Public safety 46%Business 20%Health professions 15%Psychology 8%Public administration 6%English 2%Everything else 3%

Biggest programs

Fire Protection58 graduates a year
$110k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections47 graduates a year
$76k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing37 graduates a year
$89k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations37 graduates a year
$57k4 yrs out
Social Work9 graduates a year
$62k4 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 Paxton

Is Paxton a college town?

Yes. 16 of every 100 Paxton residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 8 across Massachusetts. Anna Maria College has 991 students on campus, next to 5,046 residents.

What colleges are in Paxton?

Anna Maria College is inside the town. Quinsigamond Community College is 7.4 miles away in Worcester.

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

Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, 7.4 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,262 a year for Massachusetts residents; the federal net price, $9,090, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Anna Maria College?

Anna Maria College admitted 50% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
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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 Paxton. 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 →