Best Small Colleges
The top of Money's rankings is crowded with large campuses, because our analysis favors schools that benefit large numbers of students from disadvantaged backgrounds—something large colleges simply have more seats to do. But for students looking for a more intimate academic experience, these are the highest-ranking colleges with fewer than 2,500 students.
Published on August 25, 2020. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson's, PayScale.com, Money/College Measures calculations.
College Name Overall Money Rank | Undergraduate enrollment | Median SAT/ACT score | Est. price with average grant | % of students who get any grants | Average student debt | Early career earnings |
|---|
College Name Overall Money Rank | Undergraduate enrollment | Median SAT/ACT score | Est. price with average grant | % of students who get any grants | Average student debt | Early career earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 1 Lexington, VA | 1820 | 1420/33 | $22,900 | 59% | $19,500 | $58,800 |
25 2 Pasadena, CA | 950 | 1560/36 | $27,500 | 59% | $8,700 | $81,600 |
26 3 Lexington, VA | 1690 | 1210/27 | $15,500 | 71% | $21,630 | $59,300 |
32 4 Williamstown, MA | 2030 | 1480/34 | $19,800 | 55% | $12,700 | $57,900 |
36 5 Buzzards Bay, MA | 1650 | 1130/23 | $16,000 | 45% | $26,650 | $63,700 |
38 6 Claremont, CA | 1550 | 1470/33 | $17,700 | 61% | $10,040 | $56,600 |
39 7 | 850 | 1400/33 | $29,900 | 100% | $15,000 | $68,100 |
42 8 Swarthmore, PA | 1540 | 1470/33 | $20,300 | 59% | $20,000 | $61,000 |
50 9 Waterville, ME | 2000 | 1430/32 | $21,600 | 49% | $19,450 | $55,300 |
54 10 Clinton, NY | 1990 | 1430/33 | $29,000 | 55% | $16,250 | $59,000 |
71 11 Lewiston, ME | 1830 | NA/NA | $26,200 | 44% | $12,730 | $54,400 |
80 12 Amherst, MA | 1860 | 1430/33 | $20,100 | 60% | $12,900 | $57,000 |
81 13 Davidson, NC | 1840 | 1370/31 | $27,700 | 75% | $18,520 | $52,300 |
82 14 Claremont, CA | 1320 | 1430/33 | $27,700 | 45% | $14,250 | $61,400 |
88 15 Wellesley, MA | 2390 | 1430/32 | $21,800 | 55% | $10,600 | $52,700 |
89 16 Greencastle, IN | 2140 | 1230/26 | $30,600 | 97% | $26,000 | $53,100 |
90 17 Castine, ME | 980 | 1090/24 | $21,800 | 59% | $27,000 | $70,600 |
92 18 Brunswick, ME | 1830 | NA/NA | $25,900 | 50% | $15,850 | $56,000 |
99 19 | 1820 | 1220/26 | $20,400 | 80% | $18,000 | $52,800 |
116 20 St. Mary's City, MD | 1540 | 1180/26 | $21,400 | 81% | $21,500 | $50,000 |
120 21 Collegeville, MN | 1670 | 1150/25 | $28,700 | 100% | $27,000 | $53,000 |
124 22 Lancaster, PA | 2300 | NA/NA | $24,000 | 57% | $19,810 | $50,100 |
125 23 Haverford, PA | 1310 | 1450/33 | $26,500 | 48% | $15,000 | $50,500 |
128 24 Schenectady, NY | 2180 | NA/NA | $41,300 | 78% | $26,870 | $56,900 |
129 25 Hartford, CT | 2160 | 1380/31 | $26,100 | 49% | $21,500 | $55,100 |
ADVERTISEMENT | ||||||
132 26 Wellesley, MA | 2360 | 1360/30 | $30,900 | 46% | $23,250 | $64,800 |
138 27 Canton, NY | 2410 | 1270/29 | $35,100 | 98% | $26,000 | $54,400 |
140 28 Boston, MA | 1790 | 1220/27 | $30,900 | 94% | $25,000 | $52,200 |
145 29 Poughkeepsie, NY | 2440 | 1440/32 | $26,300 | 71% | $17,700 | $48,700 |
152 30 Philadelphia, PA | 1900 | 1010/20 | $15,700 | 75% | $25,250 | $48,300 |
159 31 Latrobe, PA | 1610 | 1130/22 | $22,100 | 97% | $27,000 | $47,300 |
160 32 Notre Dame, IN | 1440 | 1160/25 | $26,700 | 96% | $27,000 | $48,700 |
163 33 Throggs Neck, NY | 1580 | 1170/25 | $18,300 | 54% | $23,500 | $69,700 |
165 34 Crawfordsville, IN | 880 | 1220/26 | $23,100 | 99% | $27,000 | $58,400 |
171 35 Saint Peter, MN | 2230 | NA/NA | $25,000 | 97% | $27,000 | $47,800 |
177 36 New Ulm, MN | 800 | 1170/24 | $20,100 | 76% | $19,360 | $38,400 |
178 37 Gambier, OH | 1720 | 1380/31 | $33,700 | 58% | $18,000 | $48,900 |
180 38 Albion, MI | 1510 | 1130/23 | $18,400 | 99% | $27,000 | $49,200 |
182 39 Claremont, CA | 1050 | 1390/32 | $40,800 | 60% | $13,900 | $51,000 |
183 40 Kansas City, MO | 1580 | 1180/25 | $23,900 | 67% | $23,000 | $50,400 |
185 41 Gettysburg, PA | 2440 | NA/NA | $36,800 | 87% | $23,250 | $52,800 |
189 42 Beloit, WI | 1210 | 1240/25 | $27,100 | 97% | $26,890 | $44,600 |
194 43 Angola, IN | 2060 | 1120/24 | $26,100 | 44% | $25,000 | $59,800 |
198 44 Morristown, NJ | 750 | NA/NA | $20,700 | 74% | $23,000 | $46,200 |
200 45 Claremont, CA | 890 | 1530/35 | $40,500 | 68% | $22,960 | $81,800 |
201 46 San Antonio, TX | 2460 | 1350/30 | $30,600 | 94% | $23,750 | $48,700 |
203 47 Duluth, MN | 2460 | 1160/23 | $25,100 | 82% | $20,260 | $52,100 |
207 48 Wheaton, IL | 2360 | 1320/30 | $29,400 | 77% | $21,900 | $49,400 |
208 49 Northfield, MN | 2050 | 1440/33 | $33,800 | 61% | $13,830 | $52,700 |
209 50 Saint Joseph, MN | 1780 | 1100/25 | $29,200 | 100% | $26,970 | $44,800 |
Rank
1
2
Syracuse, NY
Money rank
99
Est. price after average aid
$20,400
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
ADVERTISEMENT
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
New York, NY
Money rank
39
Est. price after average aid
$29,900
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
Sign Up for Our Newsletters
Sign up to receive the latest updates and smartest advice from the editors of Money