MCLA Ranks 4th in Nation for Social Mobility in 2027 U.S. News Rankings

September 22, 2026

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts moved up 15 spots in this year's U.S. News & World Report Social Mobility rankings, landing at No. 4 among public institutions nationwide, the publication announced today.

The Social Mobility ranking measures how well colleges support and graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants, most of whom come from families with incomes below $50,000 a year. MCLA's rise places it in the top 50 of all 193 liberal arts colleges ranked nationally on that measure.

MCLA also placed among the top 13 public liberal arts colleges in the nation in U.S. News' broader rankings, released as part of the publication's 2027 Best Colleges guide.

"As a first-generation student myself, I know how important the college's dedication to social mobility is to our students, their families, and to the corner of the Berkshires we call home," said MCLA President Diana Rogers-Adkinson. "MCLA provides our graduates with a well-rounded, intellectually rigorous education that prepares them to immediately join workforce sectors that offer competitive wages and allow communities throughout Massachusetts and beyond to thrive. I'm proud that these rankings demonstrate this dedication to student and community success."


About MCLA

The Commonwealth’s designated public liberal arts college, MCLA offers the personal attention of a private college at a public tuition, with more than 90 academic programs and faculty who know their students and invest in their success. Nearly half of MCLA students are the first in their families to attend college—a commitment to access and opportunity reflected in its ranking of #4 among public institutions nationally for social mobility and #13 among public liberal arts colleges (U.S. News & World Report, 2027).
Founded in 1894, MCLA is located in North Adams, in the heart of the Berkshires—just a 10-minute walk from MASS MoCA and surrounded by world-class performing arts, thousands of acres of protected land, and Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts