You want to be an engineer, right? Why sit in a calculus or physics class with 40 to 400 students? Why wait in line for an hour to talk to a full professor? There are 144 small private colleges in the United States that offer ABET-accredited engineering programs. Class sizes for freshmen typically range from 15 to 30. Class sizes for upperclassmen range from 5 to 20. Hands-on research opportunities abound! Internships are plentiful. Placement rates are high. Freshman classes

FACTS ABOUT RANDOLPH COLLEGE (VA) Randolph College is a private liberal arts and sciences college located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Lynchburg Metro Area (260,000 population) is conveniently located within a 2- to 3.5-hour driving radius of several major national and regional metropolitan hubs (Greensboro, Charlotte, Roanoke, and Washington DC to mention a few). The 100-acre Randolph College campus is located in a quiet, residential neighborhood of Lynchburg. One of the most

FACTS ABOUT LESLEY UNIVERSITY (MA) Per their website, “Lesley is more than a university. We are an education and resource hub that educates and supports the world’s best practitioners in Education, Mental Health & Well-Being, Art & Design, Liberal Arts & Business. Lesley also educates neurodiverse learners through its innovative Threshold Programs.” Lesley University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a short distance from Harvard University. Lesley University does not h

FACTS ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS (CA) The University of Redlands is a private liberal arts college located in Redlands, California, with additional campuses in Burbank and San Anselmo. Recently, they merged with Woodbury College (Burbank). The merger added Woodbury's popular and creative programs, including its School of Architecture, Business Institute, Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, and School of Design and Media Arts. It operates on a 4-4-1 calendar. Their

Hey! I have an idea—Let’s “chase affordable excellence” instead of just “chasing merit.” “Chasing Merit” How did we get here? In 1977 when I began in college admissions, there were no popular “ranking systems.” There were a few obscure studies, but none that were widely known. A college cost what a college cost. Colleges were viewed based on their own merits. A few of the more “elite” colleges, known well in certain social circles, charged a bit more than the others, but m

FACTS ABOUT LINFIELD UNIVERSITY (OR) Linfield University is a private liberal arts college located in McMinnville, Oregon, with an additional nursing campus in Portland, Oregon. They operate on a 4-1-4 calendar. Their January Term (they refer to it as Jan Term) is an optional 4 week accelerated term throughout January. Many students use this month to take a single intensive course on campus, do a brief internship, or take advantage of Linfield's subsidized travel programs to

FACTS ABOUT SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY (PA) Susquehanna University is a private residential liberal arts college located on a 325-acre campus in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.. They operate on a traditional semester calendar. Susquehanna University has approximately 2,163 total undergraduate students, with 1,899 of them living as residential students on campus. Susquehanna University is located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, a historic town with 5,000 residents in the heart of t

A list like no other! Regardless of what you read in the press and on social media, a quality private college or university does not have to cost more than $35K. In fact, in the list below, the average family (even a high-income family) can typically pay $25K-$34K or less, due to generous merit scholarship programs. These are averages, so, of course, there are some exceptions. If you are actively seeking small private colleges, I highly recommend that you read Colleges That C

Here is one more reason to take a second look at small private colleges. In a traditional college semester calendar, full-time students usually take four to five courses each term. One advantage that small colleges have is the ability to change things up a bit－or a lot! If building a resume is important to you… If studying or performing abroad (more than once) is important to you… If internships or co-op opportunities are important to you… If extended research opportunities a

I truly hate naming colleges “reach, match, and safety.” The word “safety,” especially, is such a demeaning word with negative connotations. I prefer to use the word “fit.” These 100 colleges, if you find that they fit your interests and abilities, will help you start your college search on a positive note. Most have rolling admission, so you are not waiting forever for their response. Most award generous merit scholarships either with the admit letter or shortly thereafter.

Small Colleges: THE Place for student original STEM research Students who want to do original STEM research (not just help professors with theirs) need to take a serious look at small private colleges that have excellent facilities, helpful faculty members, and the luxury of less competition for research spots. High school students who want to do research are often thinking it would be best to attend an R1 university until they realize that an R1 classification is earned by

FACTS ABOUT ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY (TX) St. Mary’s University is a residential Catholic liberal arts college located in San Antonio, Texas. They operate on a semester calendar, plus an optional term they call “Maymester,” which is a highly accelerated, two-week term between the spring and summer semesters. St. Mary’s has a student body of 1,945 full-time undergraduate students. Approximately 1,058 of these students live on their campus. San Antonio, is a city of 1.57 mil

A son or daughter’s choice of a theatre major is upsetting to some parents, but trust me, there are plenty of successful people in this world who chose that major. One reason to major in theatre is the strong relationship between theatre and business! You know Chicago’s “Second City” for big names in comedy, right? Tina Fey, Amy Pohler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, etc. But did you know that Second City also does corporate training? The Second City, through its corporate division

FACTS ABOUT GOSHEN COLLEGE “Where Everything Connects.” “Everything connects at Goshen. Art meets science. Humanity touches the environment. And hearts connect to minds.” [quotes are from their website] Goshen College is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, located in Goshen, Indiana. They operate on a semester calendar, plus an optional, but very popular, (tuition-free) May Term. Goshen College has a student body of

Someone recently asked me for a comprehensive list of small colleges that are: 1. Financially viable (per 2026 Forbes grades) 2. Not too expensive (less than $40K for almost all) 3. Not overly selective (most solid “A/B/C” students have a chance) 4. Offer good merit, and 5. Have good overall grades from Niche So, here it is! This list contains 333 small private colleges that tick most, if not all, of these boxes. Overall statistics: The average enrollment is 1,465 (ra

In my recent book “Small College Magic,” there is an essay about the many advantages of the “undecided student” attending small colleges. This essay continues the conversation. I was giving a presentation about choosing college majors one day at West Aurora High School in Illinois. A girl in the front row said that she was undecided between Engineering and Philosophy for her college major. I said “do both!” Engineering and philosophy are very much connected. They connect t

Yes, I am the “Small College Guy,” but sometimes my followers ask me for suggestions of some midsize private colleges that offer great merit aid. There are a little over one hundred mid-size (mid-size = 3,500 to 10,000 undergraduate students) colleges and universities throughout the United States. These tend to be very popular, highly ranked colleges—and, of course, with popularity usually comes a high price (with very little merit aid for higher-income families). The sevente

64 additional hidden gem small colleges! Everyone defines “affordable” differently, right? I previously posted a list of 106 small colleges that cost most people (even higher-income families) less than $30K. The following expands the list to include colleges that are just slightly more (less than $35K). These are averages, of course, so some pay more and some pay a lot less. The following is a list of additional good, affordable, financially secure small private colleges. Whi

106 hidden gem small colleges! Several subscribers have requested that I post a list of some good, affordable, financially secure small private colleges. There are many. Since Forbes just published its 2026 college financial grades, I think this is a good time for me to do this. This will serve as an update to the previous lists I have posted. The following list of some good, affordable, financially secure small private colleges. While many of them might not be colleges that

FACTS ABOUT CATAWBA COLLEGE Catawba College is a liberal arts college located in Salisbury, North Carolina. They operate on a semester calendar. However, in addition to the standard semesters, the Catawba College Registrar's Office coordinates shorter optional terms, which include a Winter Term and multiple blocks during the Summer Term. Catawba College has a student body of 1,172 full-time undergraduate students. Approximately 900 of these students live on their campus.