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.
Mississippi Valley State University
- Public 4 Year
- Itta Bena, MS
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| 0 reviews
- 2,205 total enrollment
Mississippi Valley State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate education and business. The rural campus sits in the Mississippi Delta near Greenwood.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.9
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $10,232
Fort Valley State University
- Public 4 Year
- Fort Valley, GA
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5.0 | 2 reviews
- 2,897 total enrollment
Fort Valley State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate agriculture and animal science. The residential campus is in the small city of Fort Valley in central Georgia.
- SAT Range 930-1070
- Avg GPA 2.87
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $10,047
Bethune Cookman University
- Private 4 Year
- Daytona Beach, FL
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| 0 reviews
- 2,853 total enrollment
Bethune-Cookman is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in Daytona Beach near Florida's Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 830-990
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $12,476
Brewton Parker College
- Private 4 Year
- Mount Vernon, GA
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| 0 reviews
- 1,338 total enrollment
Brewton-Parker is a small private Baptist college with undergraduate programs in education, business, and Christian studies. The rural campus is located in the small town of Mount Vernon in southeast Georgia.
- SAT Range 880-1010
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $25,613
Missouri Valley College
- Private 4 Year
- Marshall, MO
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| 0 reviews
- 1,770 total enrollment
Missouri Valley is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the small town of Marshall in central Missouri.
- SAT Range 895-1115
- Avg GPA 3.04
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $18,923
Kentucky State University
- Public 4 Year
- Frankfort, KY
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| 0 reviews
- 2,020 total enrollment
Kentucky State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate aquaculture and agriculture. Students attend a small campus in Kentucky's capital city.
- SAT Range 820-1010
- Avg GPA 2.72
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $9,397
Benedict College
- Private 4 Year
- Columbia, SC
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3.0 | 2 reviews
- 1,691 total enrollment
Benedict is a private historically Black college known for undergraduate business and criminal justice. The urban campus sits in South Carolina's capital city of Columbia.
- SAT Range 820-1010
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $18,665
Virginia Union University
- Private 4 Year
- Richmond, VA
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| 0 reviews
- 1,646 total enrollment
Virginia Union is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate programs in business, education, and social work. The historic urban campus sits on Richmond's North Side.
- SAT Range 850-885
- Avg GPA 2.71
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $11,483
Central State University
- Public 4 Year
- Wilberforce, OH
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| 0 reviews
- 2,708 total enrollment
Central State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate education and manufacturing engineering. The residential campus sits in the small town of Wilberforce.
- SAT Range 770-950
- Avg GPA 2.8
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $11,398
Henderson State University
- Public 4 Year
- Arkadelphia, AR
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| 0 reviews
- 2,055 total enrollment
Henderson State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The campus sits in the small college town of Arkadelphia.
- SAT Range 903-1073
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $20,444
Adams State University
- Public 4 Year
- Alamosa, CO
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| 0 reviews
- 2,901 total enrollment
Adams State is a small public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The campus sits in rural Alamosa in Colorado's San Luis Valley.
- SAT Range 910-1130
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $13,340
AdventHealth University
- Private 4 Year
- Orlando, FL
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| 0 reviews
- 1,861 total enrollment
AdventHealth University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The urban Orlando campus is closely tied to the AdventHealth hospital system.
- SAT Range 1010-1140
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $29,658
American International College
- Private 4 Year
- Springfield, MA
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| 0 reviews
- 2,037 total enrollment
AIC is a private college known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The urban campus sits in a residential section of Springfield.
- SAT Range 940-1110
- Avg GPA 2.91
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $23,086
Lake Superior State University
- Public 4 Year
- Sault Ste Marie, MI
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| 0 reviews
- 1,567 total enrollment
Lake Superior State is a small public university known for undergraduate fisheries and wildlife management and criminal justice. The campus sits along the St. Marys River in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the Canadian border.
- SAT Range 1000-1225
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $12,339
Delta State University
- Public 4 Year
- Cleveland, MS
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5.0 | 2 reviews
- 2,654 total enrollment
Delta State is a public university known for undergraduate commercial aviation and teacher education. The campus is in the Mississippi Delta town of Cleveland.
- SAT Range 925-1210
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $14,021
The University of Montana Western
- Public 4 Year
- Dillon, MT
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| 0 reviews
- 1,358 total enrollment
Montana Western is a small public university known for Experience One block scheduling and undergraduate programs in education and equestrian studies. The residential campus is in Dillon, a small town in southwestern Montana.
- SAT Range 890-1120
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $16,745
Felician University
- Private 4 Year
- Lodi, NJ
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| 0 reviews
- 2,427 total enrollment
Felician is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The main campus is in suburban Lodi in northern New Jersey, with a second campus in nearby Rutherford.
- SAT Range 890-1150
- Avg GPA 3.05
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $15,569
The College of Saint Rose
- Private 4 Year
- Albany, NY
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| 0 reviews
- 2,538 total enrollment
- SAT Range 1001-1228
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price -