The Best Eastern Small Colleges
These are the top ranked small, public and private, four-year colleges in the East 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 Amherst College. Learn how the Best Small Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Susquehanna University
- Private 4 Year
- Selinsgrove, PA
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| 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.
- SAT Range 1100-1300
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $26,444
Fairleigh Dickinson University Florham Campus
- Private 4 Year
- Madison, NJ
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| 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.
- SAT Range 1040-1310
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $25,585
Canisius University
- Private 4 Year
- Buffalo, NY
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| 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.
- SAT Range 1050-1320
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $19,666
Alfred University
- Private 4 Year
- Alfred, NY
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3.5 | 2 reviews
- 2,007 total enrollment
Alfred is a private university known for undergraduate ceramics, ceramic engineering, and art. The rural campus sits in the small college village of Alfred in western New York.
- SAT Range 1095-1310
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $26,470
Hartwick College
- Private 4 Year
- Oneonta, NY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 1,097 total enrollment
Hartwick is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and the sciences. The hillside campus overlooks the college town of Oneonta in upstate New York.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $31,712
Emmanuel College
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
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| 0 reviews
- 1,983 total enrollment
Emmanuel is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate nursing and the sciences. The Fenway campus shares classes and facilities with neighboring schools through a consortium.
- SAT Range 1170-1340
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $31,121
Houghton University
- Private 4 Year
- Houghton, NY
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3.5 | 2 reviews
- 1,200 total enrollment
Houghton is a private Christian liberal arts university known for undergraduate music and the liberal arts. The rural residential campus sits in a small village in western New York.
- SAT Range 1170-1375
- Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $21,274
Caldwell University
- Private 4 Year
- Caldwell, NJ
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| 0 reviews
- 2,005 total enrollment
Caldwell is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The suburban campus in northern New Jersey has Dominican roots and a primarily residential feel.
- SAT Range 1130-1370
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $21,875
Marywood University
- Private 4 Year
- Scranton, PA
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| 0 reviews
- 2,530 total enrollment
Marywood is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate architecture, art and design, and social work. The residential campus sits in Scranton in northeastern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1060-1250
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $26,217
Marymount Manhattan College
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
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| 0 reviews
- 1,601 total enrollment
Marymount Manhattan is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate theater, dance, and communication arts. The urban campus sits on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
- SAT Range 1105-1323
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $38,376
Manhattanville University
- Private 4 Year
- Purchase, NY
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4.4 | 25 reviews
- 2,512 total enrollment
Manhattanville is a private university known for undergraduate education and the liberal arts. The suburban campus occupies a historic estate in Purchase.
- SAT Range 1020-1230
- Avg GPA 3.19
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $21,690
University of Saint Joseph
- Private 4 Year
- West Hartford, CT
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| 0 reviews
- 1,952 total enrollment
University of Saint Joseph is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and pharmacy. Founded as a women's college by the Sisters of Mercy, the West Hartford campus is now fully coeducational.
- SAT Range 850-1170
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $29,300
University of Connecticut Stamford
- Public 4 Year
- Stamford, CT
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| 0 reviews
- 2,482 total enrollment
UConn Stamford is a public regional campus known for undergraduate business and digital media. The urban campus sits in downtown Stamford.
- SAT Range 930-1260
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $15,566
Bay Path University
- Private 4 Year
- Longmeadow, MA
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| 0 reviews
- 2,605 total enrollment
Bay Path is a private university known for educating undergraduate women in business, health sciences, and cybersecurity. The residential campus sits in suburban Longmeadow near Springfield.
- SAT Range 1010-1210
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $15,463
King's College
- Private 4 Year
- Wilkes-Barre, PA
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| 0 reviews
- 1,939 total enrollment
King's is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate business and physician assistant studies. The urban campus occupies several blocks in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
- SAT Range 1070-1270
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $23,689
Curry College
- Private 4 Year
- Milton, MA
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1.8 | 4 reviews
- 1,994 total enrollment
Curry is a private college known for undergraduate nursing, criminal justice, and communication. The suburban campus sits in Milton just south of Boston.
- SAT Range 1050-1230
- Avg GPA 3.01
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $29,917
Saint Francis University
- Private 4 Year
- Loretto, PA
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| 0 reviews
- 2,963 total enrollment
Saint Francis is a private Franciscan university known for undergraduate physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and health sciences. The rural campus sits in the Allegheny Mountains town of Loretto.
- SAT Range 1050-1230
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $28,326
University of Pittsburgh Bradford
- Public 4 Year
- Bradford, PA
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| 0 reviews
- 1,009 total enrollment
Pitt-Bradford is a public regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh known for undergraduate nursing, biology, and business. The rural campus lies near the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1010-1200
- Avg GPA 3.28
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $15,830