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
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania	10,041
Colorado Christian University Lakewood, Colorado	9,951
Trine University Regional/Non Traditional Campuses Angola, Indiana	9,868
Chapman University Orange, California	9,760
Santa Clara University Santa Clara, California	9,728
University of San Diego San Diego, California	9,714
Saint Leo University Saint Leo, Florida	9,692
Seton Hall University South Orange, New Jersey	9,571
Franklin University Columbus, Ohio	9,457
Quinnipiac University Hamden, Connecticut	9,424
University of St Thomas Saint Paul, Minnesota	9,410
Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina	9,322
Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, Missouri	9,261
University of New Haven West Haven, Connecticut	9,229
Mercer University Macon, Georgia	9,196
Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey	9,137
The New School New York, New York	9,068
Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, Florida	8,992

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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.