R2 ResearchPublic

University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Lowell, Massachusetts·Public, 4-year or above·New England·uml.edu
6-yr Graduation
65%
+6.0pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
16,598
peer median 15,651
Avg net price
$17,163
-$1.4k vs R2 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
13,781
13,781 candidates competed
Admitted
11,444
83.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,068
18.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
65%+6.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
44%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
65%
Full-time retention
84%

Pell equity

8.7pp gap
Pell recipients
59%409 of 692
Non-Pell (all)
68%936 of 1383
Subsidized loan, no Pell
65%375 of 579
No Federal Aid
70%561 of 804

Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.7-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 172 Title IV programs, 56 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 116 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
172
Passing
56
32.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

172programs
  • Passing56 · 32.6%
  • No Data116 · 67.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
55
No data
116

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

56
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+19.2%
$73,712 vs $61,854
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Graduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+26.1%
$78,018 vs $61,854
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+30.5%
$51,492 vs $39,449
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+33.4%
$52,637 vs $39,449
Civil Engineering
Master's Degree · Engineering
+33.4%
$94,416 vs $70,777
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+35.3%
$53,384 vs $39,449
Psychology General
Graduate Certificate · Psychology
+35.6%
$65,990 vs $48,653
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+37.0%
$54,039 vs $39,449

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

41
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
78%
$66,500 debt · $85,128 earn
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
53%
$39,204 debt · $73,712 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
51%
$27,000 debt · $53,384 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
50%
$26,535 debt · $52,637 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
50%
$25,500 debt · $51,492 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
45%
$24,237 debt · $54,039 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
45%
$24,875 debt · $55,361 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
43%
$24,250 debt · $55,973 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1975Next review Jun 2034

Programmatic accreditations · 12

Action history · 9

  1. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  2. Oct 2022Initial Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  3. Mar 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
  4. Nov 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
  5. Apr 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$9,943
$30–48k$10,199
$48–75k$12,141
$75–110k$16,460
$110k+$26,139

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$17,163
-$1,362vs R2 Research median $18,525
Federal loans
53.0%
In-state tuition
$16,966
Out-of-state
$36,264

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 4,474 students received $25.9M in Pell grants, alongside $61.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
4,474
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$25.9M
$25,877,138 total
Direct Loans
$61.0M
11,388 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

4k
20
4k
21
4k
22
4k
23
4k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$15.9M
4,238 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$24.5M
5,691 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$11.7M
881 loan awards
Parent PLUS$8.4M
531 loan awards
Grad PLUS$567K
47 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 3,585 borrowers who entered repayment, 29 (0.8%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.8%
-1.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,585
Defaulted
29
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
5.2%
2017
4.4%
2018
3.5%
2019
0.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at UML

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs108
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,684 total completions
01Business
1,13530.8%
02Engineering
73720.0%
03Computer Sciences
43511.8%
04Health Professions
3208.7%
05Psychology
2577.0%
06Security/Protective
2486.7%
07Education
1694.6%
08Biological Sciences
1594.3%
09Social Sciences
1363.7%
10Visual/Performing Arts
882.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
16,598
12-mo unduplicated
20,237
Undergraduate
14,459
Graduate
5,778

Gender split

Men
55%11,220
Women
45%9,017

Race / ethnicity composition

White
49.4%
Hispanic
17.2%
Asian
13.9%
Black
10.3%
Two or more
3.4%
Unknown
3.0%
Non-resident
2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
429
252 M · 177 W
Women athletes
41.3%
Athletic aid
$7.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$24.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.8M
$3.5M
Recruiting expense
$245K
$103K
Head-coach salaries
$203K
$97K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
232 M · 131 W
$2.1M
Lacrosse
44 M · 39 W
$2.4M
Soccer
30 M · 31 W
$2.3M
Baseball
38 M ·
$1.1M
Ice Hockey
32 M ·
$3.9M
Basketball
15 M · 15 W
$4.4M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.74
46 offenses · 16,770 students

3-year trend

1.022 yrs ago1.341 yr ago2.74Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
87
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
13
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
32
Rape
4
Fondling
4
Robbery
2
Burglary
2
Arson
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

46total
  • On campus44
  • Public property2

Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons11
Drugs13
Liquor0102

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 2 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
600

UML vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions UML selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell
65%16,598$17,163R2 Research
49%83.8%15,575$17,707R2 Research
52%90.6%7,968$20,927R2 Research
72%72.2%17,210$21,440R2 Research
79%65.3%14,476$19,343R2 Research
53%82.3%15,726$12,366R2 Research
Peer group median59%82.3%15,651$18,525

Institutions like UML

Explore the federal data for institutions in UML's comparison group.

UML Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Data Analytics and Institutional Research
Reports to Reporting to the Chief Information Officer
Email
Institutional_Research [at] uml.edu
Phone
978-934-4000
Address
Lowell, MA 01854

The Office of Data Analytics and Institutional Research (DAIR) supports data-informed decision-making across the university by providing timely, accurate analysis and official reporting, and ensures compliance with state and federal reporting requirements.

Visit IR office page
Team
4 members
  • Christine Lewis-Horton
    Director
  • Sheri Barich
    Strategic Decision Analyst
  • Jennifer Buckley
    Principal Research Analyst
  • Deborah Cantor
    Enterprise Data Architect

Common Data Set

UML's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Acceptance rate
83.0%
Accessible
Yield
17.7%
of admitted students enroll
Total enrollment
16,797
12,122 UG · 4,675 grad
6-yr graduation rate
65%
First-year retention
84%
Student–faculty ratio
17 to 1
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
13,676
Admitted
11,345
Enrolled
2,011

13,676 applied → 11,345 admitted (83.0%) → 2,011 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
83.0%

Accessible — 83.0% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
men84.1%
women81.8%
another gender40.0%
unknown44.4%

Admit rate varies by gender.

SAT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
1200
Median
1270
75th
1360

Middle 50% SAT 1200–1360 (median 1270).

ACT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
25
Median
29
75th
32

Middle 50% ACT 25–32 (median 29).

High-school class rank

C10
Top 10th22%
Top quarter50%
Top half82%
Bottom half18%
Bottom quarter2%

Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.

Waitlist outcome

C2
Offered
572
Accepted spot
240
Admitted
45

572 offered a waitlist spot, 240 accepted it, 45 admitted (18.8% of those who stayed on).

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important2
Rigor of secondary school recordAcademic GPA
Considered2
Standardized test scoresApplication Essay
Not Considered14
Class rankRecommendation(s)InterviewExtracurricular activitiesTalent/abilityCharacter/personal qualitiesFirst generationAlumni/ae relationGeographical residenceState residencyReligious affiliation/commitmentVolunteer workWork experienceLevel of applicant’s interest

Relative importance of each admission factor.

02

Affordability & Value

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Institutional40.9%
State33.3%
Federal22.7%
External3.2%

41% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
71%
Avg debt
$29,739

71% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $29,739 on average.

03

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
65%
Retention
84%

6-year graduation rate 65%; first-year retention 84%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students65%
Pell recipients59%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 6 pts below the overall rate (59% vs 65%).

04

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students158
10-19 students708
20-29 students483
30-39 students293
40-49 students195
50-99 students88
100+ students6

45% of classes have under 20 students; 5% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
17 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
74%
Women faculty
45%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Business/marketing20.44%
Engineering19.01%
Computer and information sciences12.54%
Health professions and related programs8.57%
Psychology7.65%
Homeland Security, law enforcement, firefighting6.32%
Biological/life sciences3.9%
Visual and performing arts3.42%

STEM-dominant: ~39% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

05

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic48.6%
Hispanic/Latino17.4%
Asian, non-Hispanic14.2%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic10.1%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown3.7%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic3.4%
Nonresidents2.5%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.1%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.0%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
305
Share
3%

3% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
12,12272%
Graduate
4,67528%

12,122 undergraduates and 4,675 graduate students.

06

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
1,647
Admitted
1,384
Enrolled
673

1,647 transfer applicants → 1,384 admitted (84.1%) → 673 enrolled

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UML.

What is the graduation rate at University of Massachusetts-Lowell?

University of Massachusetts-Lowell reports a 6-year graduation rate of 65% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of Massachusetts-Lowell?

University of Massachusetts-Lowell reports a total enrollment of 16,598 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of Massachusetts-Lowell?

The average net price at University of Massachusetts-Lowell is $17,163 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of Massachusetts-Lowell?

University of Massachusetts-Lowell's yield rate is 18.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of Massachusetts-Lowell located?

University of Massachusetts-Lowell is located in Lowell, Massachusetts 01854.

Who runs Institutional Research at University of Massachusetts-Lowell?

University of Massachusetts-Lowell's IR work is done by the Office of Data Analytics and Institutional Research, which reports to Reporting to the Chief Information Officer.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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