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.
| College | Enrollment |
|---|---|
|
Ringling College of Art and Design
Sarasota, Florida |
1,666 |
|
Hardin Simmons University
Abilene, Texas |
1,665 |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Lincoln, Nebraska |
1,654 |
|
Franklin Pierce University
Rindge, New Hampshire |
1,654 |
|
Fisher College
Boston, Massachusetts |
1,652 |
|
Virginia Union University
Richmond, Virginia |
1,646 |
|
Northwest Nazarene University
Nampa, Idaho |
1,635 |
|
Thomas College
Waterville, Maine |
1,635 |
|
Adler University
Chicago, Illinois |
1,631 |
|
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania |
1,623 |
|
Drury University
Springfield, Missouri |
1,615 |
|
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana |
1,601 |
|
Marymount Manhattan College
New York, New York |
1,601 |
|
Touro University Nevada
Henderson, Nevada |
1,600 |
|
Queens University of Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina |
1,599 |
|
Gordon College
Wenham, Massachusetts |
1,595 |
|
Lubbock Christian University
Lubbock, Texas |
1,595 |
|
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois |
1,586 |
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.