University of Massachusetts

The University of Massachusetts is a five-campus public research university system renowned for the quality of its academic programs, the scope and excellence of its research, and its enduring adherence to its public service mission. UMass provides access to high-quality, affordable education that advances knowledge and improves the lives of the people of the Commonwealth, the nation and the world.

The University of Massachusetts is the Commonwealth’s only public research university system. It consists of five campuses in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and UMass Medical School in Worcester. The University also has a satellite in Springfield and a School of Law in Dartmouth. UMass is currently ranked as the No. 1 public university in New England according to Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings.

The University of Massachusetts has been providing high-quality educational opportunities for more than 150 years. It was established in 1863 under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act as the Massachusetts Agricultural College, located in Amherst. It later became known as the Massachusetts State College in 1932 and in 1947 became the University of Massachusetts. The Medical School and Boston campuses were established in 1962 and 1964, respectively. 

The University of Massachusetts is a five-campus public research university system renowned for the quality of its academic programs, the scope and excellence of its research, and its enduring adherence to its public service mission. UMass provides access to high-quality, affordable education that advances knowledge and improves the lives of the people of the Commonwealth, the nation and the world.

A State of Excellence

• UMass was named No. 71 on the Reuters Top 100: The World’s Most Innovative Universities, jumping five spots in the influential ranking. The rankings from Reuters distinguish institutions doing the most to “advance science, invent new technologies and help drive the global economy,” and recognize consistency of innovation.

• For the third consecutive year, all four UMass undergraduate campuses placed in the top category of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings – making UMass one of the few university systems in the nation to have each campus so acclaimed.

  • UMass Amherst was ranked 26th among public universities in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings.

  • UMass Lowell, which has been lauded in recent years for its rapid rise in the rankings, ranks 80th among public universities nationally and 157th overall.

  • UMass Boston continued its rapid upward trajectory, climbing 11 spots to 191st overall.

  • UMass Dartmouth, which emerged as a National University for the first time last year, ascended to 207th overall.

  • In U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools list, UMass Medical School ranks 14th in the nation for primary care education. A major research institution, UMass Medical School also ranks 46th nationally in the research category.

• UMass faculty include a Nobel Laureate, Pulitzer Prize winners, members of the National Academy of Sciences, an American Book Award winner and Fulbright, Guggenheim, MacArthur and Mellon fellows. Six UMass faculty members have been named to the list of the World’s Most Scientific Minds of 2017.

• At UMass, sponsored research and development has grown by nearly $270 million over the last decade, reaching a record high $670 million in 2017. UMass is the third-largest research university in Massachusetts, behind only Harvard and MIT, and is the fourth-largest research university in New England.

• The university was awarded 52 U.S. patents in 2017, ranking 45th in the world and third in New England.UMass is the largest producer of highly-skilled workers in the Commonwealth, with more than 300,000 graduates living and working in Massachusetts and 18,000 new graduates every year.

• UMass stimulates $6.2 billion in Massachusetts economic activity annually, according to a 2016 UMass Donahue Institute study, providing Massachusetts with a 12-to-1 return on investment on its annual state appropriation.

• Directly and indirectly, the economic activity of the university supports more than 43,000 Massachusetts jobs every year.

• In addition to being the state’s largest educator of Massachusetts residents, UMass is also the state’s second-largest employer, with more than 24,000 employees. 

• UMass is one of two university systems nationwide to have all of its campuses recognized with the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification, which is considered the gold standard for measuring the service that universities provide to their local communities.