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.

The hot topic in the press recently has been about the financial viability of small private liberal arts colleges. Can parents and students be confident in considering small private colleges? They read in the press and online about the closure of colleges, and they do not want their sons and daughters to go through the process of having to transfer to a different college due to a closure. Beware of the self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a situation where

FACTS ABOUT TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY Transylvania University is a liberal arts college located in Lexington, Kentucky. They operate on a 4-4-1 academic calendar. From mid-April through mid-May, they have a May term during which many students study off campus in other countries, are on tour with music groups, study in other parts of the United State, or participate in on-campus extended research. May Terms at colleges are rare (only a couple dozen in the U.S.). This university

FACTS ABOUT THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university focused on professional and pre-professional education. While it is not a liberal arts college by definition, it infuses liberal arts into its professional curricula. TJU is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university has a student body of 3,339 full-time undergraduate students. 968 of these students live on campus. Thomas Jefferson University offers 49 undergraduate

FACTS ABOUT MONMOUTH COLLEGE: Monmouth College is a liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Illinois (population 9,000), about 3.5 hours west of the Chicago metro area. The college has a primarily residential student body of 720 undergraduate students. Monmouth College offers 39 majors and 22 minors. 91% acceptance rate. They consider a wide range of students (C+ to A+) and give significant merit scholarships to 2.50 and higher students. Tuition $46,920 Housing $6,764 Me

You are not too late! May 1 has passed…and guess what? There are at least 487 small (mostly private) colleges that are likely STILL ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS. Most of them are also most likely STILL AWARDING GENEROUS MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS. There is always a chance that a few of them will fill their classes sometime throughout the summer, so I cannot make any promises…but the odds (of them still accepting applications and deposits) are excellent. All the colleges on my list have so

I just got home from visiting the most incredible college campus---Principia College in Elsah, Illinois (less than an hour outside the St. Louis metropolitan area.) In many ways, to the 3.4 million high school seniors throughout the United States, this is a brand-new college---never before on their radar. From 1934 until 2022, they admitted only students who were members of the Christian Science religion. Now, beginning in 2022, they welcome students of all faith backgrounds.

FACTS ABOUT HARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY Hardin-Simmons University is a Christian college located in Abilene, Texas (population 128,000), about 3 hours west of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. The college has a primarily residential student body of 1,200 undergraduate students. Hardin-Simmons University offers more than 50 bachelor, minor, and certificate programs, as well as several graduate programs. 97% acceptance rate. They consider a wide range of students (B- to A+). 2026