MCLA Ranked No. 7 Top Public Liberal Arts School in 2024 U.S. News and World Report

08:34AM / Tuesday, September 19, 2023Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) has earned the No. 7 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts Schools in the nation for a third year in a row.

The College's continued commitment to affordable education and economic prosperity is reflected in the 2024 U.S. News and World Report with additional rankings: No. 1 for Top Performer on Social Mobility in the state, No. 2 in the country, and No. 22 for National Liberal Arts Colleges.

MCLA has appeared on U.S. News' list of Top Ten Public Colleges for 9 consecutive years. The College has also been acknowledged in its list of National Liberal Arts Colleges for Social Mobility since the organization adopted this ranking in 2019. This list measures how well institutions graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants, typically awarded to students whose families make less than $50,000, though most Pell Grant money goes to families with income below $20,000.

"Each year that MCLA appears in the Top Ten Public College rankings I am reminded how incredibly committed our faculty and staff are when it comes to the growth and success of our Trailblazers by demonstrating an unwavering dedication to excellence," said President James F. Birge, Ph.D. "I am grateful to be part of an institution like MCLA that has made enormous improvements over the last year and its rankings for Top Performer on Social Mobility."

More than 42 percent of MCLA undergraduate students receive Pell Grants, and 51 percent are the first in their families to go to college. Overall, 93 percent of students receive some kind of financial aid.

"Enrolling at MCLA makes such a difference on student and faculty lives as well as on the community at large," said Brenda Burdick, Chair of the MCLA Board of Trustees. "I'm truly amazed by the ongoing success of MCLA – an institution that consistently shines as a top-notch provider of high quality, accessible, and affordable education. Being recognized as a Top Ten Public College affirms this commitment."

U.S. News ranks colleges based on indicators that reflect a school's student body, its faculty, and its financial resources, along with outcome measures that signal how well the institution achieves its mission of educating students.

For more information, go to usnews.com/colleges.

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MCLA Graduation Highlights Love, Kindness, Justice

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:28PM / Saturday, May 17, 2025

MCLA James Birge awaits the graduates' traditional walk through the college's gates on the way to commencement. See more photos here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MCLA's Class of 2025 was reminded to move forward with love, kindness, and pursuing what is just.

"I grew up wanting to be like my grandmother. When my grandmother was alive, she always talked about us living in the end times, but somehow her acceptance that we were living in the world's last movement made her capacity for kindness even higher. It made her want to be better at love," said keynote speaker Kiese Laymon, an award-winning author and Rice University professor.

"She understood that all great human beings do not get a ceremony, but we must be ceremonious to all human beings in this world."

Per tradition, graduates marched through the iron gates on Church Street before receiving 187 undergraduate and 38 graduate degrees in the sciences, arts, business, education, and more. This was the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' 126th annual commencement.

"MCLA is a small institution, but it delivers big results," said Paul Paradiso, who earned a master of business administration.

"I'm standing here alone only because I've been surrounded by a community of students and faculty. We're here because of both group effort and individual drive. We work independently on projects, yet none of us got here entirely on our own."

President James Birge reminded students that this day is a culmination of years of academic work and accomplishment.

"During your time at MCLA, you have compiled a long list of accomplishments and inspired us with your success in the classroom, in the lab, on the stage, in the gallery, on the athletic playing surfaces, and in the community. You've studied abroad, conducted research, participated in service trips and internships, and created community service programs to meet the needs you saw in our community," he said.

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