NurseSavvy ranking · Massachusetts · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Massachusetts (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 43 RN programs in Massachusetts that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Massachusetts, and what graduates earn a year out.
Greenfield Community College comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank Massachusetts’s 43 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in Massachusetts
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 178score
Greenfield Community College
GreenfieldAssociate Degree Nursing Program· Public
A 97% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97%
- Students who finish
- 80% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $7,679/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $75,914 1 yr out
Start to license: 78 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 276score
Fitchburg State University
FitchburgBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Program· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $14,262/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $80,228 1 yr out
- 375score
Worcester State University
WorcesterBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Program· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $13,381/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $75,249 1 yr out
- 471score
Emmanuel College
BostonBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Program· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $26,706/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 570score
Assumption University
WorcesterBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Program· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $29,498/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 668score
Bay State College, Associate Degree Registered Nurse Program
Associate Degree Nursing Program
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 768score
Mount Wachusett Community College
GardnerAssociate Degree Nursing Program· Public
A 98% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $7,931/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $74,618 1 yr out
- 866score
Regis College, Young School of Nursing Associate Degree Nursing Program
WestonAssociate Degree Nursing Program
A 98% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 965score
American International College
SpringfieldBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Program· Private nonprofit
A 94% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $23,274/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $79,889 1 yr out
- 1064score
University of Mass/Lowell
LowellBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Program
A 93% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 93%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The Massachusetts leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Fitchburg State University (Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Program), 100% first-time.
- Most students finish: Greenfield Community College (Associate Degree Nursing Program), 80% on time.
- Lowest average net price: Middlesex Community College, $2,624/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Simmons University, $85,096 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Greenfield Community College (#1 overall) and Fitchburg State University (#2 overall).
How we ranked Massachusetts’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Massachusetts board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Massachusetts’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in Massachusetts?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Greenfield Community College (Associate Degree Nursing Program, Greenfield) ranks #1 of 43 RN programs in Massachusetts with a score of 78 out of 100 and a 97% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank Massachusetts nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Massachusetts board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in MassachusettsMassachusetts in one page: 74 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 104,550), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in MassachusettsNurse practitioners in Massachusetts earn a median of 142,440 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in MassachusettsRegistered nurses in Massachusetts earn a median of 104,550 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.