333 Affordable Small Colleges Where Admission is Within Reach for a Broad Range of Students

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 (range: 127 to 3,497).

The average out-of-pocket cost for higher-income ($110K or more annual income) families is $29,350 (range: $15,637 to $39,923). Lower income families, of course, pay a lot less.

The average sticker price is $51,653 and the average merit aid is $18,330.

This list is not a ranking and it is not an endorsement. It merely gives students a list of colleges to investigate as they search for their collegiate home.

Tuskegee University  AL

John Brown University  AR

Lyon College  AR

University of the Ozarks  AR

Williams Baptist University  AR

University of Advancing Technology  AZ

Biola University  CA

Jessup University  CA

La Sierra University  CA

Mount Saint Mary's University  CA

University of Redlands  CA

University of the Pacific  CA

Whittier College  CA

Albertus Magnus College  CT

Goodwin University  CT

University of Bridgeport  CT

University of Saint Joseph  CT

Trinity Washington University  DC

Goldey-Beacom College  DE

AdventHealth University  FL

Ave Maria University  FL

Bethune-Cookman University  FL

Eckerd College  FL

Flagler College  FL

Florida Southern College  FL

St. Thomas University  FL

Stetson University  FL

Agnes Scott College  GA

Berry College  GA

Brenau University  GA

Covenant College  GA

LaGrange College  GA

Shorter University  GA

Toccoa Falls College  GA

Wesleyan College  GA

Young Harris College  GA

Chaminade University Honolulu  HI

Buena Vista University  IA

Central College  IA

Clarke University  IA

Cornell College  IA

Drake University  IA

Luther College  IA

Morningside University  IA

Mount Mercy University  IA

Northwestern College  IA

Saint Ambrose University  IA

University of Dubuque  IA

Wartburg College  IA

Northwest Nazarene University  ID

Augustana College  IL

Blackburn College  IL

Elmhurst University  IL

Greenville University  IL

Illinois College  IL

Illinois Tech  IL

Illinois Wesleyan University  IL

Knox College  IL

Lake Forest College  IL

Lewis University  IL

Millikin University  IL

Monmouth College  IL

National-Louis University  IL

North Central College  IL

North Park University  IL

Olivet Nazarene  IL

Principia College  IL

Rockford University  IL

St. Xavier University  IL

Anderson University  IN

DePauw University  IN

Earlham College  IN

Franklin College  IN

Goshen College  IN

Holy Cross College  IN

Indiana Tech  IN

Indiana Wesleyan University  IN

Taylor University  IN

Trine University  IN

University of Evansville  IN

University of St. Francis  IN

Valparaiso University  IN

Barclay College  KS

Benedictine College  KS

Friends University  KS

McPherson College  KS

University of Saint Mary  KS

Alice Lloyd College  KY

Asbury University  KY

Georgetown College  KY

Kentucky Christian University  KY

Lindsey Wilson College  KY

Midway University  KY

Transylvania University  KY

University of the Cumberlands  KY

Centenary College of Louisiana  LA

Loyola University New Orleans  LA

University of Holy Cross  LA

Xavier University of Louisiana  LA

Assumption University   MA

Bay Path University  MA

Clark University  MA

Elms College  MA

Emmanuel College  MA

Fisher College  MA

Gordon College  MA

Lasell University  MA

Lesley University  MA

MCPHS University  MA

Simmons University  MA

Stonehill College  MA

Wentworth Institute of Technology  MA

Wheaton College  MA

Goucher College  MD

Hood College  MD

McDaniel College  MD

Mount St. Mary's University  MD

Notre Dame of Maryland University   MD

St. John's College  MD

Stevenson University  MD

Washington College  MD

College of the Atlantic  ME

Saint Joseph's College  ME

Unity Environmental University  ME

Alma College  MI

Andrews University  MI

Calvin University  MI

College for Creative Studies  MI

Lawrence Tech University  MI

Northwood University  MI

Spring Arbor University  MI

University of Detroit Mercy  MI

Bethany Lutheran College  MN

College of St. Benedict  MN

Concordia College--Moorhead  MN

Concordia University--St. Paul  MN

Dunwoody College of Technology  MN

Gustavus Adolphus College  MN

Hamline University  MN

Martin Luther College  MN

Minneapolis College of Art & Design  MN

Saint Catherine University  MN

St. John's University  MN

St. Olaf College  MN

The College of St. Scholastica  MN

University of Northwestern-St. Paul  MN

Central Methodist University  MO

Columbia College  MO

Cottey College  MO

Drury University  MO

Kansas City Art Institute  MO

Maryville University  MO

Missouri Baptist University  MO

Ozark Christian College  MO

Park University  MO

Ranken Technical College  MO

Stephens College  MO

Westminster College  MO

Millsaps College  MS

Tougaloo College  MS

William Carey University  MS

Rocky Mountain College  MT

University of Providence  MT

Belmont Abbey College  NC

Brevard College  NC

Campbell University  NC

Catawba College  NC

Gardner-Webb University  NC

Johnson C. Smith University  NC

Meredith College  NC

Methodist University  NC

Queens University of Charlotte  NC

Salem College  NC

University of Mount Olive  NC

Wingate University  NC

University of Jamestown  ND

University of Mary  ND

College of Saint Mary  NE

Creighton University  NE

Doane University  NE

Hastings College  NE

Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing and Health Science  NE

Nebraska Wesleyan University  NE

Colby-Sawyer College  NH

Rivier University  NH

St. Anselm College  NH

Georgian Court University  NJ

Monmouth University  NJ

St. John's College  NM

Alfred University  NY

Canisius University  NY

D'Youville University  NY

Houghton University  NY

Iona University  NY

Le Moyne College  NY

Molloy University  NY

Mount Saint Mary College  NY

Nazareth University  NY

New York Institute of Technology  NY

Paul Smith's College  NY

Russell Sage College  NY

Siena University  NY

St. Bonaventure University  NY

St. John Fisher  NY

The Culinary Institute of America  NY

Touro University  NY

Trocaire College/Medaille  NY

Wagner College  NY

Antioch College  OH

Capital University  OH

College of Wooster  OH

Columbus College of Art & Design  OH

Franciscan University of Steubenville  OH

Heidelberg University  OH

John Carroll University  OH

Mount Saint Joseph University  OH

Mt. Carmel College of Nursing  OH

Muskingum University  OH

Ohio Northern University  OH

Ohio Wesleyan University  OH

Otterbein University  OH

University of Mount Union  OH

University of Northwestern Ohio  OH

Ursuline College  OH

Walsh University  OH

Wilmington College  OH

Mid-America Christian University  OK

Oral Roberts University  OK

University of Tulsa  OK

Bushnell University  OR

George Fox University  OR

Linfield University  OR

Willamette University  OR

Allegheny College  PA

Arcadia University  PA

Cedar Crest College  PA

DeSales University  PA

Duquesne University  PA

Eastern University  PA

Elizabethtown College  PA

Geneva College  PA

Gwynedd Mercy University  PA

Holy Family University  PA

Juniata College  PA

King's College  PA

Lycoming College  PA

Manor College  PA

Marywood University  PA

Messiah University  PA

Misericordia University  PA

Moravian University  PA

Mount Aloysius College  PA

Saint Vincent College  PA

Seton Hill University  PA

Susquehanna University  PA

Thiel College  PA

Thomas Jefferson University  PA

University of Scranton  PA

Ursinus College  PA

Washington & Jefferson College  PA

Westminster College  PA

Wilkes University  PA

Wilson College  PA

York College of Pennsylvania  PA

Salve Regina University RI

Anderson University  SC

Charleston Southern University  SC

Claflin University  SC

Converse University  SC

Wofford College  SC

Dakota Wesleyan University  SD

Mount Marty College  SD

University of Sioux Falls  SD

Baptist Health Sciences University  TN

Fisk University  TN

Freed-Hardeman University  TN

Johnson University  TN

Lincoln Memorial University  TN

Maryville College  TN

Milligan University  TN

Rhodes College  TN

Southern Adventist University  TN

Trevecca Nazarene University  TN

Union University  TN

Abilene Christian University  TX

Austin College  TX

Dallas Baptist University  TX

Hardin-Simmons University  TX

Houston Christian University  TX

Howard Payne University  TX

LeTourneau University  TX

Lubbock Christian University  TX

McMurry University  TX

Saint Edward's University  TX

Schreiner University  TX

Southwestern Adventist University  TX

Southwestern University  TX

St. Mary's University  TX

Texas Lutheran University  TX

Texas Wesleyan University  TX

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor  TX

University of Dallas  TX

University of St. Thomas  TX

Wayland Baptist University  TX

Eastern Mennonite University  VA

Ferrum College  VA

Hampden-Sydney College  VA

Hollins University  VA

Randolph College  VA

Randolph-Macon College  VA

Regent University  VA

Roanoke College  VA

Shenandoah University  VA

Sweet Briar College  VA

University of Lynchburg  VA

Norwich University  VT

St. Michael's College  VT

Pacific Lutheran University  WA

Saint Martin's University  WA

Seattle Pacific University  WA

Walla Walla University  WA

Beloit College  WI

Carthage College  WI

Concordia University  WI

Edgewood University  WI

Marian University  WI

Ripon College  WI

Saint Norbert College  WI

Wisconsin Lutheran College  WI

Davis and Elkins College  WV

University of Charleston  WV

West Virginia Wesleyan College  WV