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 |
|---|---|
|
Mercy University
Dobbs Ferry, New York |
8,991 |
|
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California |
8,976 |
|
Rice University
Houston, Texas |
8,961 |
|
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois |
8,915 |
|
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California |
8,913 |
|
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, Illinois |
8,834 |
|
Belmont University
Nashville, Tennessee |
8,803 |
|
Eastern University
Saint Davids, Pennsylvania |
8,727 |
|
Creighton University
Omaha, Nebraska |
8,581 |
|
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, New Jersey |
8,469 |
|
Ana G. Mendez University
Orlando, Florida |
8,378 |
|
Berklee College of Music
Boston, Massachusetts |
8,369 |
|
Webster University
Saint Louis, Missouri |
8,260 |
|
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
8,238 |
|
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
8,234 |
|
Fairleigh Dickinson University Metropolitan Campus
Teaneck, New Jersey |
8,045 |
|
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |
7,692 |
|
St. Thomas University
Miami Gardens, Florida |
7,652 |
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.