Complete List The Smallest Colleges in the United States

Complete List The Smallest Colleges in the United States SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You might be interested in going to a small college, but just how small? In general, schools labeled small have fewer than 5,000 students in total. However, quite a few schools are actually at least 10 times smaller than this. In this article I’ll describe the characteristics of small colleges and then provide a list of the smallest colleges in the nation by category. Why Are These Schools So Small? It might seem unorthodox for the enrollment of an entire college to be the same size as your high school class (or even smaller!). Though definitely uncommon, these schools usually have a solid rationale for keeping their student bodies so tiny.There are several reasons these colleges are particularly small: Extremely Specialized Curriculum Often, small colleges have a very specialized curriculum that caters to a narrow demographic of students.Many of the smallest colleges are religious schools of a particular denomination, art schools, or professional schools. The smallest liberal arts colleges usually have a curriculum that emphasizes certain modes of learning and exploration of subjects.For example, some of these schools have a â€Å"Great Books† curriculum,meaning that all students must read a collection of classic texts as part of the college’s universal academic requirements. Began as Parts of Larger Universities Some of these schools were once part of larger universities and then branched off to form their own communities.This goes along with their tendency to be more specialized and attract a much smaller group of prospective students. Dedicated to Personalizing Each Student's Academic Experience These schools are committed to keeping class sizes small and giving each student individualized attention.Often, students can design their own curricula and access a level of guidance and support from professors and advisors that's unheard of at larger schools.Students frequently collaborate with professors and are asked to give self-evaluations. Tiny schools treat the college experience as an evolving dialogue between students, their teachers, and their communities.This enables them to focus less on grades alone and more on learning as an ongoing interactive process. What Is the Tiny College Experience Like? So you can get a sense of what the smallest schools are actually like, I’ve compiled a few student testimonials that provide perspective on the pros and cons of attending these colleges. Thomas Aquinas College "They create an academic bubble of seclusion, quite literally." "The rules are a bit extreme, and never think that someone is not watching. At a school this small, everything gets out in the open." "I admit that this school does wonders with the mind. Thomas Aquinas delves into critical thinking and reading beyond the text." Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula California (Harold Litwiler/Flickr) Marlboro College "Marlboro is the best place for independent students who want to take a serious role in the pursuit of their education." "Marlboro does not have class requirements, [so]each student creates a course of study based on their interests and aspirations." "Marlboro College classes expect serious work ethic. Class sizes are small, so sleeping in and missing your 8 AM is not an option if you think your professor won't notice." Marlboro College Neumont University "There is always something to do and it is a very tight, close community who all are willing to help each other when/if someone asks." "There is no leeway for those who just want to coast on by and get a degree for something. This is an active learning environment." "There is no meal plan. You are expected to buy your own groceries and prepare your own meals." As you can see from all of these school quotes, the smallest colleges are often limited in their housing and dining options and campus activities. However, they might be the right fit for students who are interested in a specific academic field or mode of learning.One benefit you can count on is a close bond with professors and other students. List of the Smallest Colleges in the US These are the smallest four-year, non-profit colleges in the nation sorted by type and enrollment number. This list includes schools withfewer than 500 students but more than 50 students because colleges with fewer than 50 students are extremely rare and not relevant to enough students to merit inclusion. All enrollment data is from the College Board's Big Future website. Smallest Arts Colleges College Enrollment Oregon College of Art Craft 109 VanderCook College of Music 122 Visible Music College 127 Art Academy of Cincinnati 175 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 188 San Francisco Conservatory of Music 205 Watkins College of Art, Design Film 205 Cleveland Institute of Music 227 Pennsylvania College of Art and Design 260 American Academy of Art 260 Johns Hopkins University Peabody Conservatory of Music 265 San Francisco Art Institute 299 New Hampshire Institute of Art 308 School of the Museum of Fine Arts 349 Moore College of Art and Design 373 McNally Smith College of Music 409 Pacific Northwest College of Art 419 Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico 433 New England Conservatory of Music 436 Escuela de Artes Plasticas de Puerto Rico 441 Columbia College Hollywood 453 Manhattan School of Music 488 Smallest Religious Colleges For this list, I've focused on colleges that primarily identify as seminaries or Bible colleges. Also, I've excluded religious colleges that only train religious professionals because they are too specialized for most people. College Enrollment Mount Angel Seminary 51 St. Charles Borromeo Seminary- Overbrook 57 Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary 58 Southern California Seminary 62 American Jewish University 67 Kentucky Mountain Bible College 76 Hellenic College/Holy Cross 78 New Hope Christian College 87 Crossroads College 96 Clear Creek Baptist Bible College 98 Montana Bible College 100 Huntsville Bible College 8 Southwestern Christian College 123 Boise Bible College 130 Faith International University 144 Nebraska Christian College 145 Jewish Theological Seminary 162 Arlington Baptist University 162 Holy Apostles College and Seminary 164 Baptist University of the Americas 177 Johnson University- Florida 180 Kuyper College 184 Trinity College 189 Trinity Bible College 191 Mid-Atlantic Christian University 192 Criswel College 198 Dallas Christian College 213 Calvary University 223 Virginia Baptist College 227 Barclay College 229 Ecclesia College 232 Central Christian College of the Bible 239 Bethesda University of California 256 John Paul the Great Catholic University 260 Emmaus Bible College 269 Theological University of the Caribbean 271 Appalachian Bible College 274 Marygrove College 285 Beulah Heights University 288 Luther Rice College and Seminary 295 Faith Baptist Theological Seminary 300 Davis College 302 Northpoint Bible College 323 Grace Bible College 336 Piedmont International University 339 Welch College 348 Trinity Baptist College 353 Multnomah University 394 The King’s University 400 Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary 406 Baptist College of Florida 427 College of Biblical Studies- Houston 428 Lincoln Christian University 464 Columbia International University 486 Williams Baptist University 493 Smallest Engineering, Medical, and Other Professional Colleges College Enrollment California Institute of Integral Studies 50 Northwestern Polytechnic University 52 Webb Institute 98 Rush University 109 Columbia College of Nursing 6 Lincoln University 120 St. John’s College 122 United States Sports Academy 124 Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science 169 Bastyr University 197 Saint Anthony College of Nursing 199 Trinity College 213 Amberton University 217 Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing Health Sciences 272 Maharishi University of Management 324 Allen College 329 University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences 341 Boston Architectural College 343 Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering 380 Bellin College 397 St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing 406 Cabarrus College of Health Sciences 419 Touro University Worldwide 484 Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences 490 Smallest Liberal Arts Colleges All the colleges on this list offer a variety of degrees and a complete liberal arts education (but note that some of these schools are religiously affiliated). College Enrollment Thomas More College of Liberal Arts 90 Logan University 98 Antioch University 103 Antioch College 133 University of the West 185 New Saint Andrews College 141 Medaille College- Rochester 145 Sterling College 146 Marlboro College 183 Goddard College 189 College of St. Joseph in Vermont 237 Cottey College 270 Patrick Henry College 277 Alaska Pacific University 296 Randall University 304 Selma University 3 Aquinas College 312 Sweet Briar College 319 St. John’s College 322 Bryn Athyn College 326 Beacon College 348 College of the Atlantic 349 Southern Vermont College 361 Marylhurst University 364 Judson College 366 Thomas Aquinas College 370 Silver Lake College of the Holy Family 388 Bard College at Simon’s Rock 390 Prescott College 391 Warner Pacific University 400 Soka University of America 412 Pine Manor College 419 Naropa University 419 Pine College 426 York College 431 Sierra Nevada College 435 Principia College 455 Penn State- Wilkes-Barre 456 St. John’s College 458 Green Mountain College 468 Golden Gate University 470 Wells College 470 University of Minnesota- Rochester 472 Voorhees College 475 Penn State- Shenango 490 Bennett College for Women 493 Christendom College 493 Penn State- Greater Allegheny 497 What's Next? If you're just starting your college search, you might not be sure whether a big or small college is the best choice for you. Learn about the major differences between the two. Another factor to consider in the college search process is location. Do you want to stay close to home or start over somewhere new? Read this article to find out if a college close to home is the right choice for you. For more advice on how to conduct your college search, read my guide on how to choose the best college for you and my review ofthe top 10 college search websites. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: