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

Bloomington, Illinois

1,582

Riverside, California

1,574

Collegeville, Minnesota

1,572

Shawnee, Oklahoma

1,569

Walla Walla, Washington

1,561

Fremont, Nebraska

1,558

Louisville, Kentucky

1,553

Mobile, Alabama

1,545
1,538

Minneapolis, Minnesota

1,537

Newberry, South Carolina

1,536

Berea, Kentucky

1,527

Delaware, Ohio

1,525

Collegeville, Pennsylvania

1,502

Waverly, Iowa

1,483

Danville, Virginia

1,476

Thomasville, Georgia

1,471

Flint, Michigan

1,466

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.