College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of Massachusetts-Lowell

MALarge public institution · Overall rank #142 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth’s composite assessment places University of Massachusetts-Lowell in the 90th percentile nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, whose degree mix is led by Business and Engineering. Return is well above average, and mobility is well above average — two that point the same way here.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the model attributes more of that to a remainder it does not explain than to the factors it measures. The typical graduate also earns above the median at comparable schools, so the raw and adjusted results reinforce each other.

Affordability is the weakest pillar, at above average. The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it, and the median federal debt sits above the median at comparable schools.

Pell students finish within a few points of the overall rate, and mobility is well above average. The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study.

A student drawn to Business or Engineering should go in knowing that the largest programs are not the best-paid ones.

University of Massachusetts-Lowell at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
83.0%
Six-year completion[2]
64.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$81,163

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$12,141
Median student debt[4]
$23,704
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$18,400

University of Massachusetts-Lowell rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, enrolling 11,434 undergraduates. Its composite standing is near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The university admits 83.0% of applicants, a rate that is close to the 78.1% median for public universities of similar size. Of students who start full time, 84.0% return for a second year and 64.8% complete within six years.

Those figures sit alongside peer medians of 83.1% and 65.0%. An estimated 35.5% of entrants arrive as transfers, so a large part of the student body did not begin here, and the six-year rate describes the first-time full-time cohort only.

The four pillars are not far apart, with return and mobility both in the upper reaches and affordability the weakest of the group. The shape is a public university where the return and mobility pillars are strong, and affordability is the dimension that sits lowest.

Return is the clearest strength at University of Massachusetts-Lowell, with the return pillar in Azimuth’s 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility is close behind at the 88th percentile.

Azimuth places access in the 75th percentile and affordability in the 64th percentile. Return and mobility stand out most, while affordability is the weakest of the four pillars.

30.0% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access at the university. Access at the university rests on the reach of federal need-based aid and on how closely those students finish at the same pace as the entering cohort.

Azimuth ranks University of Massachusetts-Lowell #368 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients finish at 62.1%, 2.7 percentage points below that overall six-year graduation rate (64.8%).

The pillar combines that financial reach with the alignment of the two completion rates. Mobility draws on how much graduates earn above the model’s expectation for similar students, alongside the access measures that shape who enrolls.

Azimuth ranks the university #172 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $15,392 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that combines with the access measures in the mobility pillar.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of Massachusetts-Lowell rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#142
Massachusetts#4
Northeast#33

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 88
Access & reach
National percentile: 75
Affordability
National percentile: 64
Return on investment
National percentile: 89

Top-ranked majors

  1. Criminal Justice and Corrections#8
  2. Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions#13
  3. Information Science/Studies#15

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of Massachusetts-Lowell briefing

University of Massachusetts-Lowell cost & financial aid[6][7]

For aid recipients at University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the average net price is $17,163, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. Average financial aid offsets $13,623 of the published cost for that group.

The published cost of attendance is $30,786 (an average across living arrangements). In-state tuition and fees are $16,966, out-of-state tuition and fees are $36,264, and room and board are $16,148.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634; the university's is $1,529 above it. Azimuth ranks University of Massachusetts-Lowell #507 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

At University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the published cost of attendance is $30,786 (an average across living arrangements), with aid changing the picture sharply across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,943 in the lowest-income band, $10,199 in the lower-middle band, $12,141 in the middle band, $16,460 in the upper-middle band, and $26,139 in the highest-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,196, and Azimuth ranks the university #507 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 44% of the published cost, an average savings of $13,623 that leaves an overall average net price of $17,163.

That average is $1,529 above the peer median net price of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $16,966 for in-state students and $36,264 for out-of-state students, so the listed price and aid averages point to different costs for different families.

Federal borrowing is widespread, with 93.3% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans; borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $23,704. The peer median debt is $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size), placing this median $3,628 above that benchmark.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $269 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,400.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$12,141

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Borrowing is common among undergraduates at University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where 93.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,704.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $20,076, placing this median above by $3,628. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population; their median borrowing is $18,400.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 71% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $29,739 per borrower. Its figures include federal loans for 70% of graduates and private loans for 16% of graduates. Federal borrowers averaged $22,533, while private borrowers averaged $33,281.

The earnings picture at University of Massachusetts-Lowell is well above the model's expectation, with median earnings of $81,163 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $15,392 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations is the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students; Azimuth places this result in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The program-mix earnings scenarios range from $55,362 in the downside case to $101,024 in the upside case, with $81,163 as the typical scenario. Median federal debt at completion is $23,704, above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,628.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $269 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings exceed the model's expectation, while borrowing sits above the peer median.

For the separate population of parents using Parent PLUS, median federal borrowing was $18,400. The median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $269 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$23,704
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$18,400

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$269/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$234/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of Massachusetts-Lowell briefing

University of Massachusetts-Lowell career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

At University of Massachusetts-Lowell, return indicators point in the same direction: earnings are ahead of both the model and comparable institutions. Azimuth assigns the return pillar to the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $15,392 more than the model expects for similar students, an earnings-beyond-expectations measure that Azimuth places in the 92nd percentile nationally. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,164.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $8,228. The median for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled is $81,163 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. It is $15,553 above the peer median of $65,610, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

University of Massachusetts-Lowell shows a strong earnings picture, with federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earning a median of $81,163 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 4,218 completers.

Graduates earn about $15,392 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios from the program mix set a typical outcome at $81,163, with a downside scenario of $55,362 and an upside scenario of $101,024.

An estimated 26.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. The central earnings result is strong, though the scenarios show that program choice can make a sizable difference.

Graduates of University of Massachusetts-Lowell earn a median of $81,163 four years after completing their degree, at the 90th percentile nationally. That figure is $15,553 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #161 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $15,392 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 92nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,164.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $8,228. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,416.

The university's program mix tilts toward engineering and computer science, fields that tend to pay well early on. Estimated from that mix, the downside earnings scenario is $55,362 and the upside is $101,024.

An estimated 26.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Field choice shapes the earnings range at University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Earnings scenarios run from $55,362 on the downside to $101,024 on the upside, rather than describing observed groups of graduates.

The upper end includes Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, where completers earn a median of $120,219 four years after completion. Computer Science reaches $111,612, and Electrical Engineering reaches $101,054 at the same point. These program figures show why the modeled range is broad.

At University of Massachusetts-Lowell, graduate earnings beat the model’s expectation, though borrowing is higher than at comparable institutions. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $23,704, compared with $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size), or $3,628 above that peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $269 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $15,392 more than the model expects for similar students.

The return picture is mixed: the earnings measure is favorable, while the debt comparison sits above the peer median.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,164
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$8,228
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$15,392

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of Massachusetts-Lowell briefing

University of Massachusetts-Lowell acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of Massachusetts-Lowell admitted 83.0% of applicants in the reported entering class, meaning that rate describes the share admitted from that applicant pool. It is above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 13,667 first-year applicants and 11,341 admitted applicants. The rate describes an applicant-pool outcome rather than a prediction for an individual applicant.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
83.0%
25th percentile
1200
Median
1270
75th percentile
1360

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Massachusetts-Lowell briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Massachusetts-Lowell?[12]

The five largest programs at University of Massachusetts-Lowell show a clear split between higher-earning technical fields and more moderate-earning social sciences. Computer Science graduates earn a median of $111,612 four years after completion, from 173 degrees awarded.

Mechanical Engineering follows at $94,841 with 166 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #83 nationally within its field. At the other end of the earnings range, Psychology graduates earn $57,489 from 192 degrees awarded.

Azimuth places it #74 nationally within its field. The highest-earning program overall is a much smaller one.

Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians reports median earnings of $120,219 four years after completion, from just 13 degrees awarded.

University of Massachusetts-Lowell has 22 bachelor’s programs with an Azimuth national field rank. Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions is ranked #13 by Azimuth, with 44 degrees awarded and median earnings of $86,040 four years after completion.

The bachelor's degrees at University of Massachusetts-Lowell are concentrated in a few technical and professional fields. Business accounts for 20.9% of degrees awarded, Engineering for 19.2%, and Computer & Information Sciences for 11.6%.

The university has 22 ranked programs and 30 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, with 603 degrees awarded, followed by Criminal Justice at 207 and Psychology at 192.

The strongest programs by national rank are Criminal Justice and Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions. Azimuth ranks Criminal Justice #8 nationally and #2 in Massachusetts within its field.

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions has 44 degrees awarded and median earnings of $86,040 four years after completion, with a benchmark ratio of 1.13x. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one: Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians graduates earn a median of $120,219, from 13 degrees awarded.

Computer Science, the fourth-largest program, is the second-highest-earning at $111,612. The pattern is a university where the largest programs are not the highest-earning ones, but several large programs still post solid earnings.

Business Administration and Management graduates earn a median of $75,859 four years after completion, while the highest-earning programs are concentrated in engineering and computing fields. 36.7% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and the engineering and computing families together account for a substantial share of the university's output.

The four-year earnings for some programs may understate later trajectories, since fields that commonly send graduates to further study often show lower earnings at the four-year mark.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 603 degrees awarded
$75,859
Criminal Justice and Corrections 207 degrees awarded
$66,258
Psychology, General 192 degrees awarded
$57,489
Computer Science 173 degrees awarded
$111,612
Mechanical Engineering 166 degrees awarded
$94,841
Information Science/Studies 160 degrees awarded
$89,715

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of Massachusetts-Lowell briefing

How does University of Massachusetts-Lowell serve students from different backgrounds?

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are a clear strength: graduates earn about $15,392 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 64.8%, with Pell recipients completing at 62.1%, below the overall rate by 2.7 percentage points. Azimuth rates the mobility pillar in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Completion and modeled earnings both support that mobility standing.

With admission open to 83.0% of applicants, University of Massachusetts-Lowell offers a relatively broad entry point for its 11,434 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients make up 30.0% of the undergraduate population, and an estimated 35.5% entered as transfers or part-time students.

For access, Azimuth assigns the university to the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Admissions, Pell Grant participation, and transfer entry each describe a different part of who can reach the university.

06 / University of Massachusetts-Lowell briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Massachusetts-Lowell?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

Admissions peerRoger Williams University87.7% admitted
Comparison with University of Massachusetts-Lowell
MeasureUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellRoger Williams University
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,163$68,129-$13,034 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Average annual net price$17,163$37,999+$20,836 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell · higher cost
Admission rate83.0%87.7%
Higher-admission alternativeAmerican International College99.6% admitted
Comparison with University of Massachusetts-Lowell
MeasureUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellAmerican International College
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,163$71,565-$9,598 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Average annual net price$17,163$23,274+$6,111 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell · higher cost
Admission rate83.0%99.6%
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Massachusetts-AmherstNearby option · MA
Comparison with University of Massachusetts-Lowell
MeasureUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellUniversity of Massachusetts-Amherst
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,163$78,620-$2,543 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Average annual net price$17,163$22,383+$5,220 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell · higher cost
Admission rate83.0%59.7%
Explore University of Massachusetts-Amherst →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Bernard M Baruch College$3,033 average net price
Comparison with University of Massachusetts-Lowell
MeasureUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellCUNY Bernard M Baruch College
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,163$82,748+$1,585 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Average annual net price$17,163$3,033-$14,130 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell · lower cost
Admission rate83.0%47.5%
Explore CUNY Bernard M Baruch College →
Similar profileUniversity of Massachusetts-BostonMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of Massachusetts-Lowell
MeasureUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellUniversity of Massachusetts-Boston
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,163$69,532-$11,631 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Average annual net price$17,163$17,707+$544 vs University of Massachusetts-Lowell · higher cost
Admission rate83.0%83.8%
Explore University of Massachusetts-Boston →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings