New rankings show the university continues to meet its promise of “affordable excellence”
BOSTON – Online programs at the University of Massachusetts received high marks again in the 10th annual Best Online Programs rankings by U.S. News & World Report, which assessed more than 1,000 programs nationwide.
Two UMass programs ranked within the top 40 in the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs category, with UMass Amherst at No. 21, and UMass Lowell at No. 31. Amherst and Lowell were also the top two online bachelor’s programs in New England for the third consecutive year. In the same category, UMass Dartmouth made significant gains in the rankings at No. 67, rising 46 spots over last year’s rankings, and UMass Boston ranked No. 93.
UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell were also highly ranked in the new Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans category, coming in at No. 13 and No. 22 in the nation, respectively. UMass Dartmouth ranked No. 44.
Three UMass online MBA programs rank in the top 100 nationally, with UMass Amherst at No. 26, UMass Lowell at No. 35 and UMass Dartmouth ranking No. 51. In the Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans category, the same campuses perform even better, with UMass Amherst ranking No. 19, UMass Lowell ranking No. 20 and UMass Dartmouth ranking No. 32.
“These high rankings demonstrate that UMass is firmly committed to expanding access to to high-quality education by lowering the obstacles of time and distance for students,” UMass Online CEO Don Kilburn said. “As Massachusetts and the nation emerge from the pandemic, there will be an even greater demand for flexibility, especially for adult learners who have suffered economic dislocation or want to accelerate their upward mobility.”
In June, UMass and California-based Brandman University announced their intent to form an exclusive strategic partnership University to expand educational opportunities for adult learners in Massachusetts and across the nation. The partnership is expected to be finalized shortly.
In addition to the rankings previously listed, UMass programs were prominently featured in a number of different categories, including:
- UMass Amherst: No. 3 in online Bachelor’s in Business Programs
- UMass Amherst: No. 10 in online Finance MBA
- UMass Amherst: No. 12 in online Graduate Nursing, rising 11 spots over last year’s rankings
- UMass Boston: No. 26 in online Graduate Education, rising 9 spots since last year
- UMass Dartmouth: No. 47 in online Graduate Information Technology
- UMass Lowell: No. 4 in online Graduate Criminal Justice, ranking No. 2 in the veteran-specific category
- UMass Lowell: No. 16 in online Graduate Information Technology and No. 7 in online Graduate Information Technology for veterans
- UMass Lowell: No. 23 in online Graduate Education
- UMass Lowell’s online graduate programs in accounting, business analytics and finance are No. 29 in the nation and are the highest-ranked public programs in Massachusetts.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the Best Online Programs are those that excel according to traditional academic standards – such as graduation rates and faculty qualifications – and those that effectively adjust programs and student services for online learners.
The full list of rankings are available on U.S. News & World Report’s website at