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 |
|---|---|
|
Hartwick College
Oneonta, New York |
1,097 |
|
Cairn University Langhorne
Langhorne, Pennsylvania |
1,097 |
|
Mercy College of Ohio
Toledo, Ohio |
1,096 |
|
Presbyterian College
Clinton, South Carolina |
1,095 |
|
Naropa University
Boulder, Colorado |
1,094 |
|
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa |
1,094 |
|
Dean College
Franklin, Massachusetts |
1,092 |
|
Heidelberg University
Tiffin, Ohio |
1,091 |
|
The College of Idaho
Caldwell, Idaho |
1,090 |
|
Central College
Pella, Iowa |
1,084 |
|
Manhattan School of Music
New York, New York |
1,084 |
|
Dillard University
New Orleans, Louisiana |
1,080 |
|
Agnes Scott College
Decatur, Georgia |
1,079 |
|
The Juilliard School
New York, New York |
1,073 |
|
Trocaire College
Buffalo, New York |
1,069 |
|
Pacific Oaks College
Pasadena, California |
1,068 |
|
Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health
Omaha, Nebraska |
1,067 |
|
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, California |
1,065 |
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.