Claim: Boston has many private universities.

This is a list of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston . Some are located within Boston proper while some are located in neighboring cities and towns , but all are within the 128/95/1 loop . This is closer to the `` inner core '' definition of Metropolitan Boston , which excludes more suburban North Shore , South Shore and MetroWest regions . Although larger institutions may have several schools , some of which are located in cities other than that of the main campus -LRB- such as Harvard Medical School and Tufts University School of Medicine -RRB- , each institution is listed only once and location is determined by the site of each institution 's main campus .   There are a total of 54 institutions of higher education in the defined region , including 4 junior colleges , 15 colleges that primarily grant baccalaureate and master 's degrees , 8 research universities , and 24 special-focus institutions . Of these , 51 are non-profit organizations while 3 are for-profit businesses , and 49 are private ventures while 5 are public institutions -LRB- 4 are run by the state of Massachusetts and 1 is operated by the city of Quincy -RRB- .   In 2007 , enrollment at these colleges and universities ranged from 108 students at the Episcopal Divinity School to 32,053 students at Boston University . The first to be founded was Harvard University , also the oldest institution of higher education in the United States , while the most recently established institution is the Urban College of Boston . All but five of these schools are accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges -LRB- NEASC -RRB- , the oldest regional accrediting body in the United States , and all but one are recognized by the United States Department of Education .