Forbes’ new Top 50 Small Colleges ranking highlights the unique experience offered at public and private nonprofit colleges with fewer than 4,000 undergraduates. For the first time, a handful of the so-called “Little Ivies” earned spots in the top 10.
Smaller colleges tend to be easier to navigate, allow students greater access to professors and have a strong focus on undergraduate education. These schools are also largely out of reach of the Trump Administration’s threats to research funding, according to Forbes.
“Small schools with strong science programs also offer undergraduate research opportunities, which could be a selling point as large universities struggle with dramatic cuts in federal research funding,” wrote Forbes’ Emma Whitford.
Take a look at which schools made the top 25 below:
Forbes’ Top 25 Best Small Colleges
- Williams College (MA) – 2,302 undergraduates
- California Institute of Technology (CA) – 1023 undergraduates
- Amherst College (MA) – 2017 undergraduates
- Swarthmore College (PA) – 1713 undergraduates
- Claremont McKenna College (CA) – 1410 undergraduates
- Wellesley College (MA) – 2538 undergraduates
- Pomona College (CA) – 1814 undergraduates
- Washington and Lee University (VA) – 1876 undergraduates
- Bowdoin College (ME) – 1996 undergraduates
- Colgate University (NY) – 3210 undergraduates
- Wesleyan University (CT) – 3619 undergraduates
- Haverford College (PA) – 1482 undergraduates
- Harvey Mudd College (CA) – 997 undergraduates
- Davidson College (NC) – 2091 undergraduates
- Babson College (MA) – 3249 undergraduates
- College of the Holy Cross (MA) – 3310 undergraduates
- Lafayette College (PA) – 2764 undergraduates
- Franklin W Olin College of Engineering (MA) – 418 undergraduates
- Bucknell University (PA) – 3833 undergraduates
- Colby College (ME) – 2438 undergraduates
- Hamilton College (NY) – 2131 undergraduates
- Trinity University (TX) – 2558 undergraduates
- Barnard College (NY) – 3685 undergraduates
- Trinity College (CT) – 2244 undergraduates
- Carleton College (MN) – 2106 undergraduates
View the remaining 25 colleges here.
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