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.

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Small Public Private 4 Year
Taylor University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Upland, IN
  • 4.0 | 4 reviews
  • 2,548 total enrollment

Taylor is a private Christian university known for undergraduate education, business, and nursing. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Upland.

#9 Best Private Colleges in Indiana 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.87
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $26,178
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Beloit College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Beloit, WI
  • 5.0 | 4 reviews
  • 1,004 total enrollment

Beloit is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate anthropology and the sciences. The historic residential campus overlooks the Rock River in southern Wisconsin.

#3 Best Value Colleges in Wisconsin 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1200-1430
  • Avg GPA 3.33
  • Acceptance Rate 63%
  • Net Price $24,455
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Eckerd College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • 4.0 | 1 reviews
  • 1,893 total enrollment

Eckerd is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate marine science and environmental studies. The waterfront campus borders Boca Ciega Bay in St. Petersburg.

#6 Best Private Colleges in Florida 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1160-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.8
  • Acceptance Rate 76%
  • Net Price $43,884
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The College of Idaho Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Caldwell, ID
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • 1,090 total enrollment

The College of Idaho is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and a PEAK curriculum that pairs a major with three minors. The residential campus sits in the small city of Caldwell west of Boise.

#1 Best Value in Idaho 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1280
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 49%
  • Net Price $21,686
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Meredith College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Raleigh, NC
  • | 0 reviews
  • 1,465 total enrollment

Meredith is a private women's college known for undergraduate business, education, and design. The residential campus sits in Raleigh near the state's government district.

#6 Best Private Colleges in North Carolina 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1098-1348
  • Avg GPA 3.52
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $24,323
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Roanoke College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Salem, VA
  • 4.5 | 2 reviews
  • 1,804 total enrollment

Roanoke is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, biology, and psychology. The residential campus sits in Salem at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

#3 Best Private Colleges in Virginia 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1090-1300
  • Avg GPA 3.56
  • Acceptance Rate 83%
  • Net Price $26,044
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Mount St. Mary's University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Emmitsburg, MD
  • 4.3 | 3 reviews
  • 2,408 total enrollment

Mount St. Mary's is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, education, and the liberal arts. The residential campus sits in rural Emmitsburg near the Catoctin Mountains.

#3 Best Value Colleges in Maryland 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1046-1280
  • Avg GPA 3.36
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $23,027
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Coe College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Cedar Rapids, IA
  • | 0 reviews
  • 1,195 total enrollment

Coe is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate writing, biology, and business. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Cedar Rapids.

#3 Best Value Colleges in Iowa 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1290
  • Avg GPA 3.74
  • Acceptance Rate 64%
  • Net Price $20,864
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Hanover College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Hanover, IN
  • 0.0 | 1 reviews
  • 1,243 total enrollment

Hanover is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, business, and psychology. The campus overlooks the Ohio River from wooded bluffs in a small southern Indiana town.

#10 Best Private Colleges in Indiana 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1110-1280
  • Avg GPA 3.79
  • Acceptance Rate 84%
  • Net Price $23,683
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SUNY Maritime College Campus

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  • Public 4 Year
  • Throggs Neck, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • 1,413 total enrollment

SUNY Maritime is a public maritime college known for undergraduate marine transportation, marine engineering, and naval architecture. The waterfront campus occupies historic Fort Schuyler on the Throggs Neck peninsula in the Bronx.

#17 Best Public Universities in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1123-1288
  • Avg GPA 3.4
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $20,312
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Bellarmine University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Louisville, KY
  • 4.0 | 1 reviews
  • 2,886 total enrollment

Bellarmine is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and the health sciences. The campus occupies a residential setting in Louisville.

#2 Best Colleges in Kentucky 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1030-1250
  • Avg GPA 3.42
  • Acceptance Rate 86%
  • Net Price $23,165
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Susquehanna University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Selinsgrove, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • 2,255 total enrollment

Susquehanna is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate business and communications. The campus sits along the Susquehanna River in the small town of Selinsgrove.

#32 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1300
  • Avg GPA 3.67
  • Acceptance Rate 81%
  • Net Price $26,444
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Berry College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Mount Berry, GA
  • | 0 reviews
  • 2,484 total enrollment

Berry is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate animal science, business, and education. Most students join a campus work program on the college's 27,000-acre grounds of forests and farmland near Rome.

#5 Best Private Colleges in Georgia 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1125-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.84
  • Acceptance Rate 64%
  • Net Price $25,363
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Ohio Wesleyan University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Delaware, OH
  • | 0 reviews
  • 1,525 total enrollment

Ohio Wesleyan is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate zoology, economics, and international studies. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in Delaware, a small city north of Columbus.

#2 Best Value Colleges in Ohio 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1105-1350
  • Avg GPA 3.54
  • Acceptance Rate 56%
  • Net Price $23,006
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Albion College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Albion, MI
  • | 0 reviews
  • 1,308 total enrollment

Albion is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, pre-medical studies, and business. The residential campus sits in a small college town in south-central Michigan.

#2 Best Value Colleges in Michigan 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 930-1160
  • Avg GPA 3.48
  • Acceptance Rate 81%
  • Net Price $16,719
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South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Campus

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  • Public 4 Year
  • Rapid City, SD
  • 5.0 | 3 reviews
  • 2,576 total enrollment

South Dakota Mines is a public science and engineering university known for undergraduate mining, geological, and materials engineering. The Rapid City campus lies at the edge of the Black Hills.

#1 Best Public Universities in South Dakota 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1140-1340
  • Avg GPA 3.57
  • Acceptance Rate 80%
  • Net Price $20,267
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Fairleigh Dickinson University Florham Campus Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Madison, NJ
  • | 0 reviews
  • 2,885 total enrollment

Fairleigh Dickinson Florham is a private university known for undergraduate business, psychology, and communications. The residential campus occupies a historic estate in suburban Madison.

#7 Best Private Colleges in New Jersey 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1040-1310
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.42
  • Acceptance Rate 95%
  • Net Price $25,585
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Canisius University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Buffalo, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • 2,451 total enrollment

Canisius is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and education. The urban campus is located in Buffalo.

#40 Best Private Colleges in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1050-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $19,666
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