The Best Small Colleges
These are the top ranked small, public and private, four-year colleges in the United States as ranked by CollegeSimply. These schools all have total enrollment under 3,000. Small colleges allow students a more intimate and personalized experience where it's more likely you will get to know your professors. Leading the list for 2027 is California Institute of Technology. Learn how the Best Small Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Gwynedd Mercy University
- Private 4 Year
- Gwynedd Valley, PA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 2,017 total enrollment
Gwynedd Mercy is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The suburban campus sits in Gwynedd Valley northwest of Philadelphia.
- SAT Range 1023-1186
- Avg GPA 3.34
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $27,960
Georgian Court University
- Private 4 Year
- Lakewood, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,013 total enrollment
Georgian Court is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The historic Lakewood campus occupies a former Gilded Age estate with formal gardens.
- SAT Range 1043-1251
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $20,457
Keuka College
- Private 4 Year
- Keuka Park, NY
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
- 1,366 total enrollment
Keuka is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing, occupational therapy, and education. The campus sits on Keuka Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region.
- SAT Range 1008-1183
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $24,628
University of Mount Union
- Private 4 Year
- Alliance, OH
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,461 total enrollment
Mount Union is a private university known for undergraduate business, education, and nursing. The residential campus sits in the small city of Alliance in northeastern Ohio.
- SAT Range 910-1240
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $23,616
Benedictine University
- Private 4 Year
- Lisle, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,917 total enrollment
Benedictine is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and biology. The suburban campus is in Lisle in Chicago's western suburbs.
- SAT Range 1050-1280
- Avg GPA 3.26
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $23,139
Delaware Valley University
- Private 4 Year
- Doylestown, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,199 total enrollment
Delaware Valley is a private university known for undergraduate agriculture, animal science, and equine studies. The suburban Doylestown campus includes extensive working farmland used in hands-on programs.
- SAT Range 1090-1303
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $28,975
Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Private 4 Year
- Fayette, MO
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,041 total enrollment
Central Methodist is a private Methodist university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and music. The historic campus sits in the small college town of Fayette.
- SAT Range 960-1045
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $22,929
Centenary University
- Private 4 Year
- Hackettstown, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,398 total enrollment
Centenary is a private university known for undergraduate equine studies and education. The main campus is set in the residential town of Hackettstown in northwestern New Jersey.
- SAT Range 990-1170
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $22,640
Penn State Altoona
- Public 4 Year
- Altoona, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,371 total enrollment
Penn State Altoona is a public campus of Penn State known for undergraduate rail transportation engineering, nursing, and business. The residential campus sits in the city of Altoona in central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $21,618
Saint Martin's University
- Private 4 Year
- Lacey, WA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 1,390 total enrollment
Saint Martin's is a private Benedictine university known for undergraduate engineering, education, and business. The suburban campus sits in Lacey near Washington's state capital of Olympia.
- SAT Range 1025-1230
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $29,116
Graceland University Lamoni
- Private 4 Year
- Lamoni, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,102 total enrollment
Graceland is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and education. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Lamoni.
- SAT Range 880-1120
- Avg GPA 3.22
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $19,574
Alvernia University
- Private 4 Year
- Reading, PA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 2,796 total enrollment
Alvernia is a private Franciscan university known for undergraduate nursing, criminal justice, and business. Students live and study on a campus in Reading in eastern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1093-1286
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $28,645
Minot State University
- Public 4 Year
- Minot, ND
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,751 total enrollment
Minot State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and business. The compact campus sits in the small city of Minot in north-central North Dakota.
- SAT Range 930-1140
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $13,092
The Evergreen State College
- Public 4 Year
- Olympia, WA
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- 2,490 total enrollment
Evergreen is a public liberal arts college known for interdisciplinary programs and environmental studies. The forested campus includes Puget Sound waterfront near Olympia.
- SAT Range 1035-1253
- Avg GPA 3.12
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $18,350
Bridgewater College
- Private 4 Year
- Bridgewater, VA
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,448 total enrollment
Bridgewater is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate programs in biology, business, and education. The Church of the Brethren-affiliated campus sits in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
- SAT Range 1020-1360
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $11,316
Ave Maria University
- Private 4 Year
- Ave Maria, FL
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- 1,423 total enrollment
Ave Maria is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate theology, philosophy, and the liberal arts. The campus anchors the planned town of Ave Maria in southwest Florida.
- SAT Range 1018-1240
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 41%
- Net Price $25,294
McKendree University
- Private 4 Year
- Lebanon, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,392 total enrollment
McKendree is a small private university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The historic campus in Lebanon is Illinois's oldest college and sits near the St. Louis metro area.
- SAT Range 871-1277
- Avg GPA 3.38
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $22,444
Texas Lutheran University
- Private 4 Year
- Seguin, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,423 total enrollment
Texas Lutheran is a private Lutheran university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus is in Seguin, a small city northeast of San Antonio.
- SAT Range 1030-1230
- Avg GPA 3.9
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $25,119