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Overall Score: 86.07

Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Buzzards Bay, MA http://www.maritime.edu/
Located on Cape Cod, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy is in an ideal spot for lovers of all things nautical, which – as the name might give away – describes most of its roughly 1,700 students. The academy prides itself on getting students ready for both sea-going and shoreside careers, offering seven undergraduate degrees in fields such as marine engineering, marine transportation, international maritime business and emergency management. MMA is structured like a military academy. Students in certain majors are required to complete "sea terms," spending weeks training aboard a ship en route to a variety of U.S. and foreign ports. The academy does offer aspects of traditional college life, albeit on a smaller scale: Students can play on more than a dozen Division III sports teams and have their choice of several organizations, including clubs for chess, motocross and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. There's also Safe Harbor, a program that encourages MMA's students and staff to identify themselves as LGBTQ allies. The graduation rate of 85% is, according to Money, about 8% higher than expected based on schools with comparable student bodies. But the Academy really stands out in Money's outcomes measures, with median earnings well above those of colleges that enroll similar students.

Costs

Est. full price 2022-2023
$31,600
% of students who get any grants
43%
Est. price for students who receive aid
$18,600
Average price for low-income students
$6,380

Admissions

Acceptance rate
91%
Median SAT/ACT score
1100/22
SAT/ACT required?
No
Undergraduate enrollment
1,650

Financial Aid

% of students with need who get grants
56%
% of need met
71%
% of students who get merit grants
11%
Average merit grant
$5,530

Student Success

Graduation rate
73%
Average time to a degree
4.2 years
Median student debt
$26,000
Early career earnings
$91,670
% earning more than a high school grad
91%

Notes: Students who get merit grants are full-time undergraduates who had no financial need and were awarded grants. Graduation rate measures degree completion within six years for both transfer students and first-time students. Early career earnings are the median earnings for both graduates and non-completers, 10 years after they first enrolled.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.

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