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Massachusetts · State guide

Community college transfer in Massachusetts

A complete guide to how to transfer from a community college to a university in Massachusetts — including the state's 15 accredited community colleges, the major receiving universities, and the statewide articulation programs that govern credit transfer.

15
Community colleges
27%
Avg transfer rate
$5,317
In-state tuition / yr
35%
Completion rate

How transfer works in Massachusetts

Two-year colleges in Massachusetts serve as the primary on-ramp to a bachelor's degree for tens of thousands of in-state residents each year. The state's 15 accredited community colleges enroll a median of 5,817 students each, charge an average of $5,317 per year for in-state residents, and transfer roughly 27% of incoming degree-seeking students into a four-year institution within six years.

Like most U.S. states, Massachusetts coordinates community-college-to-university transfers through a combination of statewide articulation agreements, common course-numbering schemes, and institution-specific transfer pathways. A student who completes the state's transfer-oriented associate degree — typically an AA or AS bearing a "transfer" or "university parallel" designation — usually receives junior standing at the receiving public university, with all general-education requirements considered satisfied.

Statewide articulation programs in Massachusetts

Several formal agreements govern how credits move between Massachusetts community colleges and the state's four-year institutions. Understanding which one applies to your intended major is the single most important planning step in your first semester.

MassTransfer (Massachusetts)

Min GPA: 2.5 · Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

A MassTransfer A2B Degree from a Massachusetts community college guarantees admission to any state university or UMass campus with full credit transfer and a tuition discount at higher GPAs.

Top receiving universities for Massachusetts transfer students

The most common 2+2 destinations for community college students in Massachusetts are the state's flagship and regional public universities. Each has a published transfer-admission policy with a minimum GPA, a credit-hour cap, and an application deadline distinct from the freshman cycle.

UniversitySystemMin transfer GPAApplication window
University of Massachusetts Amherst UMass 2.7 Jun 1 (fall) / Nov 1 (spring)
University of Massachusetts Boston UMass 2.5 Jun 1 (fall)

Costs and aid in Massachusetts

Community college tuition in Massachusetts averages $5,317 per year for in-state residents and $12,417 for out-of-state students. Most colleges layer the federal Pell Grant — worth up to about $7,400 per year for the lowest-income students — with state need-based aid, institutional scholarships, and federal Direct Loans where required. Roughly two of every three community college students in the state receive some form of grant aid, and a substantial minority pay nothing at all out of pocket for tuition once aid is applied.

The practical playbook is the same in every Massachusetts city: pick a target four-year institution before you finish your first semester at the community college, find that school's articulation agreement on the receiving registrar's website, and lock in your course selections accordingly. Skipping this step is the single most common reason transfer students lose credit on the way to the bachelor's degree — surveys regularly find that around forty percent of transfer credit is wasted nationally, almost always because the student picked courses without checking the articulation table first.

Largest community colleges in Massachusetts

Massasoit Community College

~8,124 students · transfer rate 21%

Greenfield Community College (Massachusetts)

~8,120 students · transfer rate 35%

Middlesex Community College (Massachusetts)

~7,975 students · transfer rate 28%

Bunker Hill Community College

~7,514 students · transfer rate 29%

Quinsigamond Community College

~7,260 students · transfer rate 21%

Berkshire Community College

~7,134 students · transfer rate 27%

Plan your Massachusetts transfer by program area

Each program-area page below combines Massachusetts's state-specific articulation rules with the typical two-year coursework for that major. Use it to confirm prerequisites and the most common receiving universities for your intended bachelor's.

Every community college in Massachusetts