MassBay Ranked as #1 Community College in Massachusetts by WalletHub

MassBay Community College Wellesley Hills campus, Wellesley Hills, MA, October 2025 (Photo / MassBay Community College student Julio Aguilar).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jeremy Solomon
jsolomon@massbay.edu

WELLESLEY, Mass., (August 20, 2026) — The national, award-winning personal finance company WalletHub has ranked MassBay Community College as the #1 community college in Massachusetts. WalletHub sampled 613 colleges across the country and based their rankings on three key dimensions: 1) Cost & Financing, 2) Education Outcomes and 3) Career Outcomes. In addition to being #1 in Massachusetts, MassBay ranked 15 in the nation for Career Outcomes.

“We are delighted by this national recognition and believe it reflects the value we offer at MassBay,” said President David Podell. “Our institution is student-centered, and we’ve always recognized our students come to us with career goals in mind. Being one of the very best community colleges in America for Career Outcomes is proof positive that we’re delivering on our mission.”

WalletHub describes the details of their process as, “We constructed the three dimensions using 18 total metrics, each grouped with related metrics in the appropriate category. We graded each metric on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best community college. Finally, we determined each school’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.” The rankings were based on data collected as of July 2026.

The full rankings can be found on the WalletHub website: WalletHub Best Community Colleges 2026.

WalletHubis an award-winning personal finance company that empowers consumers to lead financially healthy lives. WalletHub provides a number of services and tools, including: 
Powerful tools to compare credit card offers, personal loans, car insurance companies, checking accounts and more; 100% free credit scores, updated daily. We strive to make the complex simple and to provide each user with a personalized level of care.

MassBay Community College is the most affordable higher education option in MetroWest Boston and is free to most Massachusetts residents without a bachelor’s degree. With more than 70 associate degree and certificate programs, along with comprehensive workforce and educational training, MassBay provides a wide range of courses with flexible day, evening, and weekend classes in Wellesley, Framingham, the Automotive Technology Center in Ashland, and online, in high-demand fields including health and life sciences, computer science, engineering, cybersecurity, business, and the humanities. MassBay students receive unparalleled value, with free one-on-one academic and social support services, compassionate and experienced faculty, and stackable credits that easily transfer to bachelor’s degree programs and that provide hands-on, workforce-ready skills. Health sciences, human services, early childhood education, and many general education programs are offered at the 65,000 square foot, state-of-the-art MassBay Framingham, which has served the community since January 2024. Founded in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by multiple governing bodies and remains dedicated to serving its diverse communities, fostering inclusiveness, and advancing equity for all.