Lasell University

Private · Moderately Selective · MA

Photo: Unknown author (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,226

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate53.7%

6-yr grad rate58.6%

Drop-out rate29.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$27k

Out-of-state tuition$27k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity39%

Gender diversity64.7%

International2.9%

Identity—

Overview

Lasell University sits in Newton, Massachusetts, just outside Boston, and has built its identity around "connected learning" — a requirement that every student complete substantial hands-on experience, such as internships, practicums, or applied projects, tied to their major before graduating.

Academics

Fashion is Lasell's best-known area, spanning design, merchandising, and communication, with the program leaning on Boston's retail and design industry for placements. Beyond fashion, Lasell has built out programs in health sciences, education, and business using the same applied, project-based structure.

Campus & student life

The campus includes Lasell Village, a retirement community built directly into the college, where residents take classes alongside traditional-age students and sometimes serve as mentors — an intergenerational arrangement genuinely unusual among American colleges. Boston's internship and cultural opportunities are a short trip away, which shapes how much of student life happens off campus versus on it.

Getting in

Lasell's process weighs fit with its practical, career-first model as much as raw academic profile — applicants who can point to internship or work experience, or a clear sense of the field they want to enter, tend to read well against the applied-learning framework built into every major.

Worth knowing

The Lasell Village arrangement is worth understanding before applying — it is not a retirement community adjacent to campus but one integrated into it, and some coursework and campus events involve older residents directly.

lasell.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate81.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1030–1158

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying