The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) is a public research university in the historic mill city of Lowell, Massachusetts — about 30 minutes north of Boston. Born of the 1975 merger of Lowell Technological Institute (one of the country's oldest textile/engineering schools, founded 1895) and Lowell State College, UML is now a Carnegie R2 high-research institution serving roughly 18,000 students across six colleges: the Francis College of Engineering, Manning School of Business, Kennedy College of Sciences, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, and College of Education. It is one of only a handful of U.S. public universities with accredited undergraduate degrees in plastics engineering, nuclear engineering, sound recording technology, and meteorology. UML's identity is unapologetically applied: students learn by building, designing, and partnering with industry. The university operates the M2D2 medical-device incubator, the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, and major research centers in nanomanufacturing, climate, photonics, and submarine acoustics for the U.S. Navy. Co-op and internship programs are deeply embedded — Engineering, Business, and Health Sciences students routinely log paid work terms with companies like Raytheon (RTX), MITRE, Pfizer, Analog Devices, and IBM, while sound-recording and music-business students work in active commercial studios on campus. For international students, UML is one of New England's most accessible R2 publics: a sub-$40K out-of-state sticker price, an open and welcoming international student community drawing from 100+ countries, and direct rail access to Boston (a 35-minute commute on the MBTA Lowell Line). The International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) supports F-1/J-1 students from pre-arrival through OPT, and STEM-designated programs (the bulk of engineering, computer science, and sciences) qualify for the 24-month STEM-OPT extension. The campus straddles the Merrimack River across the East, North, and South campuses, connected by the free UML shuttle.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceThe deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$17,664 – $18,500
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$37,460 – $38,500
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Sixth-oldest school of engineering in the U.S. with ABET-accredited programs and unusual specializations. Home of the only ABET-accredited undergraduate plastics engineering program in the country and one of the few U.S. nuclear engineering bachelor's programs.
AACSB-accredited with strong programs in business analytics, finance, and entrepreneurship. Tightly integrated with Boston-area industry through co-ops and internships.
Research-active sciences with notable strengths in computer science, atmospheric science/meteorology, physics, and applied mathematics. UML is one of only a few publics offering an undergraduate meteorology degree.
One of the largest health science colleges in New England — nursing, public health, exercise physiology, physical therapy, and medical lab sciences. Strong clinical placement network in the Boston metro.
Home of UML's distinctive Sound Recording Technology and Music Business programs (housed in the Department of Music) and the largest Criminal Justice & Criminology program in New England.
4 years
The only ABET-accredited undergraduate plastics engineering program in the United States. STEM-designated, with near-100% placement and strong industry pipelines into medical-device, packaging, automotive, and consumer-products firms.
4 years
One of the longest-running and most respected audio-engineering bachelor's programs in the country. Combines a music-school foundation with hands-on work in fully professional commercial recording studios on campus, plus a dedicated music-business curriculum.
4 years
STEM-designated. Strong concentrations in cybersecurity, AI/data science, and software engineering, with co-op pipelines into MITRE, Raytheon (RTX), MathWorks, IBM, and the dense Boston-128 tech corridor.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $36,264
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
