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.
St. Mary's College of Maryland
- Public 4 Year
- St. Mary's City, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,630 total enrollment
St. Mary's College of Maryland is a public honors college known for undergraduate liberal arts. The historic campus sits on the St. Mary's River in southern Maryland.
- SAT Range 1143-1340
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $21,071
Illinois Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Bloomington, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,582 total enrollment
Illinois Wesleyan is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate music, nursing, and the sciences. Most students live on a residential campus in Bloomington in central Illinois.
- SAT Range 1120-1340
- Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 39%
- Net Price $28,644
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
- Private 4 Year
- Norton, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 1,785 total enrollment
Wheaton is a private liberal arts college known for its interdisciplinary Connections curriculum and frequent dual majors. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the small town of Norton southeast of Boston.
- SAT Range 1220-1390
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $30,701
Westminster University
- Private 4 Year
- Salt Lake City, UT
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,155 total enrollment
Westminster is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and health sciences. The urban campus sits near the Wasatch Mountains in Salt Lake City.
- SAT Range 1070-1310
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $26,844
Nazareth University
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,401 total enrollment
Nazareth is a private university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and music. The suburban campus sits in Pittsford just outside Rochester.
- SAT Range 1070-1320
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $30,785
Saint Mary's College
- Private 4 Year
- Notre Dame, IN
-
3.8 | 5 reviews
- 1,601 total enrollment
Saint Mary's is a private Catholic women's college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The campus adjoins the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana.
- SAT Range 1130-1325
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $27,865
Union University
- Private 4 Year
- Jackson, TN
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,713 total enrollment
Union is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and Christian studies. The residential campus sits in Jackson in West Tennessee.
- SAT Range 1160-1390
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $28,452
Bard College
- Private 4 Year
- Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 2,911 total enrollment
Bard is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, music, and literature. The campus overlooks the Hudson River in New York's Hudson Valley.
- SAT Range 1270-1450
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 52%
- Net Price $29,320
The College of Wooster
- Private 4 Year
- Wooster, OH
-
2.3 | 3 reviews
- 1,738 total enrollment
The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college known for a required senior Independent Study thesis. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in a small Ohio college town.
- SAT Range 1220-1460
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $28,004
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Socorro, NM
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,622 total enrollment
New Mexico Tech is a small public technological university known for undergraduate engineering, earth sciences, and physics. The campus is in the small town of Socorro in central New Mexico.
- SAT Range 1080-1310
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $11,551
Allegheny College
- Private 4 Year
- Meadville, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,171 total enrollment
Allegheny is a private liberal arts college known for requiring a major and minor in different fields and a senior comprehensive project. The historic campus sits in the small college town of Meadville in northwestern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1173-1358
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $26,420
Southwestern University
- Private 4 Year
- Georgetown, TX
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 1,440 total enrollment
Southwestern is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate study in the arts and sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in historic Georgetown, north of Austin.
- SAT Range 1130-1300
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $32,228
University of Puget Sound
- Private 4 Year
- Tacoma, WA
-
4.0 | 5 reviews
- 1,864 total enrollment
Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and the natural sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in Tacoma near Commencement Bay.
- SAT Range 1170-1380
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $43,188
Austin College
- Private 4 Year
- Sherman, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 1,217 total enrollment
Austin College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and international studies. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Sherman, north of Dallas.
- SAT Range 1100-1310
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $23,462
Lawrence University
- Private 4 Year
- Appleton, WI
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 1,417 total enrollment
Lawrence is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music through its Conservatory of Music. The residential campus sits along the Fox River in Appleton.
- SAT Range 1200-1420
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $27,161
Moravian University
- Private 4 Year
- Bethlehem, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,745 total enrollment
Moravian is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The historic campus sits in downtown Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley.
- SAT Range 1070-1285
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 54%
- Net Price $31,743
University of Dallas
- Private 4 Year
- Irving, TX
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
- 2,078 total enrollment
University of Dallas is a private Catholic university known for a Great Books core curriculum and undergraduate work in philosophy, politics, and the humanities. The suburban campus sits in Irving just outside Dallas.
- SAT Range 1120-1370
- Avg GPA 3.9
- Acceptance Rate 53%
- Net Price $29,209
Springfield College
- Private 4 Year
- Springfield, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- 2,599 total enrollment
Springfield College is a private college known for undergraduate physical education, exercise science, and health sciences. Basketball was invented on its campus, and the school keeps a long focus on sport and human services.
- SAT Range 1080-1330
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $30,039