Research expenditures by university in Massachusetts, FY2024
38 institutions in Massachusetts reported to the NSF HERD survey in FY2024, and together they spent $5.5 billion, 4.7% of the US total. Harvard University leads at $1.5 billion — #19 nationally, half as much again as Massachusetts Institute of Technology's $1.1 billion. 29 spent more than in FY2023 and 6 spent less, and 3 more reported for the first time. The list runs down to Fitchburg State University at $150 thousand; every name on it links to that institution's own page.
- Institutions
- 38
- FY2024 R&D
- $5.5 billion
- Share of the US total
- 4.7%
Universities in Massachusetts ranked, FY2024
| In Massachusetts | Institution | US rank | FY2024 R&D | Change on FY2023 | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | #19 | $1.5B | +4.1% | down 4 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | #33 | $1.1B | +6.5% | held |
| 3 | Boston University | #48 | $784.4M | +1.4% | down 2 |
| 4 | University of Massachusetts Medical School | #98 | $349.6M | +7.0% | held |
| 5 | Northeastern University | #99 | $346.9M | +20.2% | up 8 |
| 6 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | #109 | $308.2M | +7.1% | down 1 |
| 7 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | #114 | $281.7M | +4.9% | down 2 |
| 8 | Tufts University | #116 | $278.3M | +12.5% | up 3 |
| 9 | University of Massachusetts Lowell | #171 | $120.7M | +2.8% | held |
| 10 | Brandeis University | #176 | $107.1M | +3.3% | down 1 |
| 11 | Boston College | #179 | $96.3M | +18.3% | up 10 |
| 12 | University of Massachusetts Boston | #203 | $74.6M | +5.1% | down 4 |
| 13 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | #208 | $71.6M | +7.8% | down 5 |
| 14 | University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | #247 | $42.4M | +0.8% | down 7 |
| 15 | Clark University | #348 | $12.7M | +10.1% | held |
| 16 | MGH Institute of Health Professions | #376 | $10.0M | +35.1% | up 21 |
| 17 | Amherst College | #388 | $8.7M | +6.3% | down 3 |
| 18 | Smith College | #411 | $7.4M | +23.9% | up 13 |
| 19 | Williams College | #415 | $7.1M | +9.7% | down 5 |
| 20 | Wellesley College | #418 | $7.0M | +10.6% | down 6 |
| 21 | Suffolk University | #471 | $4.9M | −5.3% | down 24 |
| 22 | Bentley University | #477 | $4.6M | +42.3% | up 28 |
| 23 | New England College of Optometry, The | #516 | $3.6M | +44.6% | up 36 |
| 24 | Merrimack College | #548 | $2.9M | +82.8% | up 72 |
| 25 | Mount Holyoke College | #577 | $2.4M | −6.4% | down 31 |
| 26 | Emerson College | #590 | $2.1M | +217.4% | up 153 |
| 27 | Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | #611 | $1.8M | −25.8% | down 58 |
| 28 | Babson College | #615 | $1.8M | −8.9% | down 30 |
| 29 | Hult International Business School | #666 | $1.2M | +7.7% | up 1 |
| 30 | Western New England University | #671 | $1.2M | +7.7% | down 2 |
| 31 | Bridgewater State University | #707 | $941K | +25.5% | up 17 |
| 32 | Simmons University | #733 | $814K | +31.3% | up 21 |
| 33 | College of the Holy Cross | #734 | $813K | −9.0% | down 35 |
| 34 | MCPHS University | #816 | $468K | +9.9% | down 7 |
| 35 | Wheaton College, Norton | #825 | $445K | new | — |
| 36 | Stonehill College | #842 | $394K | −27.3% | down 71 |
| 37 | Gordon College | #862 | $317K | new | — |
| 38 | Fitchburg State University | #923 | $150K | new | — |
| All 38 | $5.5B | ||||
Rank is a competition rank: two institutions that spent the same share a rank and the next one is skipped. Figures are NSF's own, as revised in the FY2024 release, and are shown to one decimal. How these numbers are built.
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Data: NSF HERD FY2024, built from NSF's published tables on September 8, 2026. Page updated September 13, 2026.
Data: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation, Higher Education Research and Development Survey, FY2024.
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