HighSchoolOS Best Small Colleges
Small colleges (under 3,000 undergraduates) trade big-school breadth for small classes and close faculty contact. These are the strongest by graduation rate.
Explore this ranking interactively| # | School | Location | Acceptance | SAT avg | Net price | Grad rate | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Needham, MA | 25% | 1,520 | $25,171 | 96% | 377 |
| 2 | Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME | 7.1% | 1,520 | $14,398 | 95% | 1,873 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | 2.6% | n/a | $16,075 | 94% | 987 |
| 4 | Amherst College | Amherst, MA | 9.0% | 1,533 | $23,367 | 94% | 1,911 |
| 5 | Washington and Lee University | Lexington, VA | 14.0% | 1,498 | $23,781 | 94% | 1,881 |
| 6 | Williams College | Williamstown, MA | 8.3% | 1,533 | $17,716 | 94% | 2,076 |
| 7 | Pomona College | Claremont, CA | 7.1% | 1,534 | $19,285 | 93% | 1,666 |
| 8 | Babson College | Wellesley, MA | 17.1% | 1,457 | $40,514 | 93% | 2,728 |
| 9 | Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA | 7.5% | 1,534 | $23,149 | 92% | 1,613 |
| 10 | Harvey Mudd College | Claremont, CA | 12.7% | 1,545 | $35,924 | 92% | 921 |
| 11 | Soka University of America | Aliso Viejo, CA | 43% | 1,440 | $18,260 | 92% | 484 |
| 12 | Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA | 14.1% | 1,520 | $25,496 | 92% | 2,300 |
| 13 | Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT | 10.8% | 1,508 | $31,483 | 91% | 2,738 |
| 14 | Claremont McKenna College | Claremont, CA | 9.6% | 1,527 | $28,849 | 91% | 1,388 |
| 15 | Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY | 18.6% | 1,494 | $39,343 | 91% | 2,444 |
| 16 | Davidson College | Davidson, NC | 13.4% | 1,469 | $17,379 | 91% | 1,867 |
| 17 | Hamilton College | Clinton, NY | 13.6% | 1,506 | $28,985 | 91% | 2,030 |
| 18 | Jewish Theological Seminary of America | New York, NY | 49% | 1,500 | $43,195 | 90% | 172 |
| 19 | Hillsdale College | Hillsdale, MI | 21% | 1,415 | n/a | 90% | 1,573 |
| 20 | Bates College | Lewiston, ME | 13.3% | 1,468 | $29,351 | 90% | 1,760 |
| 21 | Haverford College | Haverford, PA | 12.4% | 1,513 | $25,314 | 90% | 1,430 |
| 22 | Carleton College | Northfield, MN | 20% | 1,517 | $25,407 | 90% | 2,086 |
| 23 | Smith College | Northampton, MA | 21% | 1,500 | $27,579 | 89% | 2,544 |
| 24 | Colby College | Waterville, ME | 7.1% | 1,501 | $17,180 | 89% | 2,407 |
| 25 | Rhode Island School of Design | Providence, RI | 18.7% | 1,473 | $50,507 | 89% | 2,084 |
| 26 | Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA | 14.5% | 1,486 | $17,648 | 88% | 1,729 |
| 27 | Webb Institute | Glen Cove, NY | 14.0% | 1,496 | $73,043 | 88% | 106 |
| 28 | Colorado College | Colorado Springs, CO | 18.5% | 1,365 | $33,375 | 88% | 2,014 |
| 29 | Lafayette College | Easton, PA | 31% | 1,424 | $34,433 | 88% | 2,757 |
| 30 | Macalester College | Saint Paul, MN | 29% | 1,440 | $32,149 | 87% | 2,131 |
| 31 | University of Richmond | University of Richmond, VA | 22% | 1,497 | $31,309 | 85% | 2,980 |
| 32 | Wheaton College | Wheaton, IL | 87% | 1,380 | $26,975 | 85% | 2,121 |
| 33 | Rhodes College | Memphis, TN | 50% | 1,362 | $28,585 | 85% | 1,836 |
| 34 | Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA | 36% | 1,463 | $26,441 | 84% | 2,169 |
| 35 | Wofford College | Spartanburg, SC | 52% | 1,296 | $18,732 | 84% | 1,816 |
| 36 | Trinity University | San Antonio, TX | 26% | 1,416 | $23,464 | 84% | 2,505 |
| 37 | Trinity College | Hartford, CT | 29% | 1,415 | $34,832 | 84% | 2,146 |
| 38 | Franklin and Marshall College | Lancaster, PA | 28% | 1,392 | $36,425 | 84% | 1,799 |
| 39 | Pitzer College | Claremont, CA | 25% | n/a | $34,191 | 83% | 1,227 |
| 40 | Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY | 21% | 1,405 | $32,297 | 83% | 2,694 |
| 41 | Scripps College | Claremont, CA | 38% | 1,492 | $36,294 | 83% | 1,113 |
| 42 | Gettysburg College | Gettysburg, PA | 39% | 1,379 | $31,490 | 83% | 2,099 |
| 43 | Kenyon College | Gambier, OH | 31% | 1,429 | $38,512 | 82% | 1,732 |
| 44 | Muhlenberg College | Allentown, PA | 72% | 1,343 | $28,905 | 82% | 1,727 |
| 45 | Connecticut College | New London, CT | 37% | 1,432 | $36,175 | 82% | 1,937 |
| 46 | Bryn Mawr College | Bryn Mawr, PA | 29% | 1,396 | $31,759 | 82% | 1,359 |
| 47 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York, NY | 21% | 1,410 | $13,269 | 81% | 842 |
| 48 | Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH | 34% | 1,447 | $38,645 | 81% | 2,887 |
| 49 | Occidental College | Los Angeles, CA | 44% | 1,452 | $38,263 | 81% | 1,877 |
| 50 | Centre College | Danville, KY | 54% | 1,352 | $20,781 | 81% | 1,400 |
Acceptance rate, net price (average cost after aid), and graduation rate are from the most recent federal data; test ranges and deadlines are verified against each school for the 2025-2026 cycle. Click any school for its full profile, deadlines, and supplemental essay prompts.