United States Private Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment

Below is a ranking of the 1262 private colleges in the United States with the largest enrollment of full and part time students. Western Governors University leads the list with a population of 210,208 students.

Enrollment is a measure of the size of the student body. Larger schools are more likely to offer a wider range of programs and services while smaller schools may have a more intimate and personalized experience.

List of United States Private Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment
College Enrollment
1,763

Lewiston, Maine

1,760

Dubuque, Iowa

1,757

New Concord, Ohio

1,751

Wooster, Ohio

1,738

Columbia, South Carolina

1,725

Sewanee, Tennessee

1,724

McMinnville, Oregon

1,709

Orange City, Iowa

1,705

Dayton, Tennessee

1,701

Claremont, California

1,700

Grand Rapids, Michigan

1,695

Columbia, South Carolina

1,691

Baltimore, Maryland

1,687

Ashland, Virginia

1,687

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

1,679
1,671

Newton, Massachusetts

1,668

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.