Worcester is home to nine institutes of higher education.

Assumption College is the fourth oldest Roman Catholic college in New England and was founded in 1904.
At 175 acres (0.71 km²), it has the largest campus in Worcester.

Becker College is a private college with campuses in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts.
It was founded in Leicester in 1784 as Leicester Academy.
The Worcester campus was founded in 1887, and the two campuses merged into Becker College in 1977.
Becker's video game design program has consistently been ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada.

Clark University was founded in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in the country; it now also educates undergraduates and is noted for its strengths in psychology and geography.
Its first president was G. Stanley Hall, the founder of organized psychology as a science and profession, father of the child study movement, and founder of the American Psychological Association.
Well-known professors include Albert A. Michelson, who won the first American Nobel Prize in 1902 for his measurement of light.
Robert H. Goddard, a pioneering rocket scientist of the space age also studied and taught here, and, in his only visit to the United States, Sigmund Freud delivered his five famous "Clark Lectures" at the university.
Clark offers the only program in the country leading to a Ph.D. in Holocaust History and Genocide Studies.

College of the Holy Cross was founded in 1843 and is the oldest Roman Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest in the United States.
Well-known graduates include Nobel laureate Joseph E. Murray; former Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins; Basketball Hall of Fame member Bob Cousy; attorney and professional sports' team owner Edward Bennett Williams; College Football Hall of Fame member Gordie Lockbaum; and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
In 2013, Holy Cross was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the nation's 25th highest-rated liberal arts college.

The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Worcester Campus houses the institution's Doctor of Optometry program, accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy, Post-Baccalaureate Bachelor's in Nursing; Master's in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner, Master's program New England School of Acupuncture, as well as the Master's program in Physician Assistant Studies for post-baccalaureate students.

Quinsigamond Community College.

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (1970) is one of the nation's top 50 medical schools.
Dr. Craig Mello won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Medicine.
The University of Massachusetts Medical School is ranked fourth in primary care education among America's 125 medical schools in the 2006 U.S. News & World Report annual guide "America's Best Graduate Schools".

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1865) is an innovative leader in engineering education and partnering with local biotechnology industries.
Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketry, graduated from WPI in 1908 with a Bachelor of Science in physics.

Worcester State University is a public, 4-year college founded in 1874 as Worcester Normal School.

An early higher education institution, the Oread Institute, closed in 1934.

Many of these institutions participate in the Colleges of Worcester Consortium.
This independent, non-profit collegiate association includes academic institutions in Worcester and other communities in Worcester County, such as Anna Maria College in neighboring Paxton.
It facilitates cooperation among the colleges and universities.
One example of this being its inter-college shuttle bus and student cross registration.
Worcester is home to nine institutes of higher education.
Assumption College is the fourth oldest Roman Catholic college in New England and was founded in 1904. At 175 acres (0.71 km²), it has the largest campus in Worcester.
Becker College is a private college with campuses in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts. It was founded in Leicester in 1784 as Leicester Academy. The Worcester campus was founded in 1887, and the two campuses merged into Becker College in 1977. Becker's video game design program has consistently been ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada.
Clark University was founded in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in the country; it now also educates undergraduates and is noted for its strengths in psychology and geography. Its first president was G. Stanley Hall, the founder of organized psychology as a science and profession, father of the child study movement, and founder of the American Psychological Association. Well-known professors include Albert A. Michelson, who won the first American Nobel Prize in 1902 for his measurement of light. Robert H. Goddard, a pioneering rocket scientist of the space age also studied and taught here, and, in his only visit to the United States, Sigmund Freud delivered his five famous "Clark Lectures" at the university. Clark offers the only program in the country leading to a Ph.D. in Holocaust History and Genocide Studies.
College of the Holy Cross was founded in 1843 and is the oldest Roman Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest in the United States. Well-known graduates include Nobel laureate Joseph E. Murray; former Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins; Basketball Hall of Fame member Bob Cousy; attorney and professional sports' team owner Edward Bennett Williams; College Football Hall of Fame member Gordie Lockbaum; and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In 2013, Holy Cross was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the nation's 25th highest-rated liberal arts college.
The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Worcester Campus houses the institution's Doctor of Optometry program, accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy, Post-Baccalaureate Bachelor's in Nursing; Master's in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner, Master's program New England School of Acupuncture, as well as the Master's program in Physician Assistant Studies for post-baccalaureate students.
Quinsigamond Community College.
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (1970) is one of the nation's top 50 medical schools. Dr. Craig Mello won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Medicine. The University of Massachusetts Medical School is ranked fourth in primary care education among America's 125 medical schools in the 2006 U.S. News & World Report annual guide "America's Best Graduate Schools".
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1865) is an innovative leader in engineering education and partnering with local biotechnology industries. Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketry, graduated from WPI in 1908 with a Bachelor of Science in physics.
Worcester State University is a public, 4-year college founded in 1874 as Worcester Normal School.
An early higher education institution, the Oread Institute, closed in 1934.
Many of these institutions participate in the Colleges of Worcester Consortium. This independent, non-profit collegiate association includes academic institutions in Worcester and other communities in Worcester County, such as Anna Maria College in neighboring Paxton. It facilitates cooperation among the colleges and universities. One example of this being its inter-college shuttle bus and student cross registration.
Worcester, Massachusetts