Connecticut’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
What are the best colleges and universities in Connecticut if you reward schools for making the best use of their limited resources? Academic Stewardship asks how effectively schools manage their financial and human resources to gain the influence that makes them academically excellent. Schools that are exemplary in Academic Stewardship are doing everything in their power to help students and faculty achieve their full potential.
Colleges and universities in Connecticut deserve to be recognized when they do more with less. It’s impressive when a large wealthy school can spend money lavishly on expensive buildings and programs. But it’s even more impressive when a small school with limited means is able to train and inspire students that the larger wealthier schools tend to ignore.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities reported in late 2021 that almost 75 percent of higher-education professionals at US colleges and universities felt financial constraints prevented their schools from effectively attracting students. Distracted by the size and amenities of larger schools, prospective students tended especially to be overawed by the big research universities.
Connecticut’s smaller colleges, especially its liberal arts colleges, need effective ways of communicating their value to a world that celebrates “bigger is better” and “you need the best.” Unfortunately, most college ranking companies, such as U.S. News & World Report, define “best” in a way that devalues schools with smaller budgets and fewer students even when these schools do remarkable work in advancing their students’ education. By and large, college rankings penalize schools that serve underserved populations.
Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell, who for years now has criticized conventional college rankings for misrepresenting what’s good and valuable in education, we decided to construct a new ranking metric that highlights those schools that do more with less. That metric—called the Academic Stewardship metric—takes away both the size and the wealth advantage of schools, and focuses instead on how well schools use the resources available to them to advance the education of their students.
How We Measure the Academic Stewardship of Connecticut’s Colleges and Universities
As a metric, Academic Stewardship is defined by a precise mathematical formula, which can be found in our Academic Stewardship white paper. Measuring the Academic Stewardship of Connecticut’s colleges requires measuring two forms of stewardship: 1) Stewardship of financial resources (using the money they have responsibility without waste) and 2) Stewardship of human resources (doing their best to help students, faculty, and administration to flourish). Together, these two types of stewardship form what we call Academic Stewardship. If you want to learn more about the factors involved in Academic Stewardship, click the more button below.
- Stewardship of financial resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of financial resources, we factored in its undergraduate size, budget, endowments and reserves, as well as tuition and fees. All these data are available from the National Center for Educational Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. In addition, we factored in a school’s financial responsibility as gauged by the Federal Student Aid Office at the US Department of Education through its financial responsibility composite scores.
- Stewardship of human resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of human resources, we used our InfluenceRanking engine to track the influence of the school’s faculty and alumni but also to control for size of the undergraduate student body. We’ve found that measuring a school’s influence based on the contributions of faculty and alumni make in their fields of study but then also controlling for size of the undergraduate population is the single best indicator of academic excellence. We call this Concentrated Influence. Schools that rank highly in Concentrated Influence are schools that, given their available human resources, invest heavily in their students and faculty, and the results are demonstrable.
- We measure the influence of colleges and universities based on the publications and citations of the schools’ faculty and alumni who are teaching in and working in areas related to their degrees. To do this, we take publicly available databases, such as Semantic Scholar, Crossref, and Wikipedia and use these to measure the influence of academics in their disciplines. Having measured the influence of persons, we then identify the schools that they’re affiliated with, adding up the influence scores of the faculty and alumni to measure the influence of the schools and their disciplinary programs. Finally, we control these influence scores by size of undergraduate student body so that schools do not score high in influence simply because of a size advantage. We lay out these methodological considerations on our methodology page.
- Academic Stewardship: Having measured a school’s stewardship of financial and human resources in the two previous points, we now divide the second measure by the first to define the Academic Stewardship metric. This metric spotlights smaller schools, with fewer financial resources and people, that invest wisely and do proportionately better in building influence than large wealthy schools. Many of these smaller, less wealthy schools are incentivized to make better use of their resources but would never get recognized in conventional school rankings, which directly or indirectly put a premium on the wealth of schools.
Academic Stewardship as so defined is connected to keeping tuition and other costs down, but it should not be confused with affordability or frugality. The schools that this metric ranks as exemplary academic stewards tend to be all over the map when it comes to tuition and other costs. At issue is the influence of schools given the financial and human resources they have on hand. If a school is going to charge more for tuition, then that needs to be reflected in the school having proportionately greater influence.
Why Academic Stewardship Matters to Students and Their Families
The benefits of attending a school with strong academic stewardship include:
- A clear reason for why students are at the school in the first place. Without the distraction of amenities and luxuries, these schools are at once unpretentious but also passionately committed to their educational mission. The schools in this ranking are financially efficient and academically rigorous. By avoiding frills, these schools take the most direct path to accomplishing their mission of educating students.
- Valuing character over prestige and self-indulgence. A school that’s a good steward of its resources doesn’t instill shame in its students over what they are missing (such as elite cuisine) but rather pride in what they have and making the most of it. These schools exhibit a culture of good stewardship, which tends to build good character in the students that attend these schools.
- Avoiding the spoiled-student syndrome. It’s easy to think that offering students endless options and opportunities will enrich their time at school in every way. But spoiling people—whether in business, sports, or academics—has the opposite effect, causing people to take their advantages for granted and in the end achieving less than they might otherwise, a point well-documented in Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code. Schools exhibiting academic stewardship avoid this pitfall.
- The best schools vs. the schools that help students to be their best. Students at schools demonstrating outstanding academic stewardship aren’t so much concerned about being at the “best” school, whatever that may mean, as about being at a school that helps them to be their best. These schools pay attention to their students, hoping that any glory goes to them rather than to the school. Small schools, and especially liberal arts colleges, help themselves by communicating this advantage to prospective students.
- Emphasizing development over talent and achievement. Schools like Harvard and Stanford have their pick of academic talent, and their students have a long record of achievement even before they apply to such elite schools. But if a school doesn’t have the resources of a Harvard or Stanford, how does it build a great team of students? In that case, it must focus on student development. Colleges exemplifying academic stewardship emphasize student growth and development, ensuring that the schools are doing everything in their power to help students reach their full potential and thereby become their best selves.
Connecticut’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
- #2 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #4 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2024 #1 Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Connecticut 2024
Other Rankings
- #2 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024
- #2 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024
- #3 Best Colleges in Connecticut 2024
- #3 Best Grad Schools in Connecticut 2024
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Sociology Degrees
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for English Degrees
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Philosophy Degrees
- #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Anthropology Degrees
- #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Degrees
- #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Chemistry Degrees
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for History Degrees
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for a Biology Degree
- #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Earning Computer Science Degrees 2024
- #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Economics Degree
- #6 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Political Science Degrees
- #6 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Physics Degrees
- #6 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Religious Studies Degrees
- #6 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Math Degrees
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
91%
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at Wesleyan University
Cost of Degree: $64,022Expenses: $20,850Starting Salary: $63,400Cost Recoup Time: 19 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Wesleyan University known for?
Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Psychology
- History
- Economics
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Physics
- Education
- Religious Studies
Most Influential Alumni
- #4 Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #5 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #7 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
81%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1380/31
Career Outlook for degree at Connecticut College
Cost of Degree: $62,620Expenses: $19,280Starting Salary: $62,900Cost Recoup Time: 19 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Connecticut College known for?
Connecticut College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Literature
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Economics
- Education
- Mathematics
- Biology
- History
- Computer Science
Most Influential Alumni
- #3 Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #4 Best Research Universities in Connecticut 2024 #4 Best Grad Schools in Connecticut 2024 #6 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024
Other Rankings
- #7 Best Colleges in Connecticut 2024
- #1 Best Online MBA Programs in Connecticut
- #2 Best Online Colleges in Connecticut 2024
- #4 Best Online MBA in Human Resources Ranked for Students in 2024
- #4 Best Online Master's Programs in Connecticut 2024
- #8 Fastest Accelerated Online Doctorate of Information Technology
- #16 Best Online Master’s in Human Resources
- #25 Best Online Bachelor's in Psychology Degree Programs for Students
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
44%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1025/19
Career Outlook for degree at University of Bridgeport
Cost of Degree: $35,760Expenses: $25,222Starting Salary: $47,100Cost Recoup Time: 19 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Bridgeport known for?
University of Bridgeport’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Computer Science
- Nursing
- Religious Studies
- Engineering
- Business
- Education
- Political Science
- Medical
- Social Work
- Criminal Justice
Most Influential Alumni
University of Bridgeport’s Online Degrees
BS in Professional Studies
- Required Credits: None Reported
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in General Studies
- Required Credits: None Reported
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BSN in Nursing Rn To Bsn
- Required Credits: None Reported
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Dental Hygiene
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #2 Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #3 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #3 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
38%
Graduation
85%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Trinity College
Cost of Degree: $63,930Expenses: $19,160Starting Salary: $74,300Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Trinity College known for?
Trinity College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #8 50 Best Christian Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities 2024 #1 Best Christian Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #5 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024
Other Rankings
- #6 Best Colleges in Connecticut 2024
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Nursing Degrees
- #3 Best Online Master's Programs in Connecticut 2024
- #8 Best Online MBA Programs in Connecticut
- #10 The Most Affordable Online Clinical Nutrition Doctorate Degree Programs (PhDs) 2024
- #16 Best Online Christian Colleges and Universities for Master's Degrees
- #17 Best Online Master's in Marketing and Advertising
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
84%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1265/28
Career Outlook for degree at Fairfield University
Cost of Degree: $54,455Expenses: $19,630Starting Salary: $80,100Cost Recoup Time: 15 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Fairfield University known for?
Fairfield University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Biology
- Business
- Political Science
- Religious Studies
- Nursing
- Computer Science
- Sociology
- History
- Communications
- Psychology
Most Influential Alumni
- #5 Best Research Universities in Connecticut 2024 #6 Best Grad Schools in Connecticut 2024 #8 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #10 Best Colleges in Connecticut 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$45K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
59%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/25
Career Outlook for degree at University of Hartford
Cost of Degree: $46,148Expenses: $17,952Starting Salary: $51,700Cost Recoup Time: 18 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Hartford known for?
University of Hartford’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Sociology
- Communications
- Engineering
- Education
- Religious Studies
- Literature
- Philosophy
- History
- Business
- Economics
Most Influential Alumni
- #6 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #7 Best Grad Schools in Connecticut 2024 #9 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Criminal Justice Degrees
Other Rankings
- #1 Best Online Master’s in Emergency Management
- #2 Best Online Bachelor’s of Homeland Security Degree Programs for 2024
- #2 Best Online Master's in Cybersecurity
- #3 Best Online MBA Programs in Connecticut
- #3 Best Online Colleges in Connecticut 2024
- #5 Top 5 Best Online Criminal Justice Doctorates (PhDs) 2024
- #5 Best Online Master's in Criminal Justice
- #7 Best Online Master's Programs in Connecticut 2024
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
94%
Graduation
66%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/25
Career Outlook for degree at University of New Haven
Cost of Degree: $44,184Expenses: $22,198Starting Salary: $54,600Cost Recoup Time: 18 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of New Haven known for?
University of New Haven’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Criminal Justice
- Computer Science
- Social Work
- Business
- Engineering
- Education
- Political Science
- Law
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
Most Influential Alumni
University of New Haven’s Online Degrees
BS in Homeland Security And Emergency Management
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Paramedicine
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #2 Best Public Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #2 Most Affordable Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #5 Best Grad Schools in Connecticut 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
55%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/22
Career Outlook for degree at Central Connecticut State University
Cost of Degree: $12,106Expenses: $16,320Starting Salary: $51,600Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Central Connecticut State University known for?
Central Connecticut State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Economics
- Political Science
- Education
- Literature
- History
- Anthropology
- Business
- Physics
- Communications
- Philosophy
Most Influential Alumni
- #3 Best Research Universities in Connecticut 2024 #4 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #5 Best Colleges in Connecticut 2024 #1 Best Online Colleges in Connecticut 2024
Other Rankings
- #2 Best Online MBA Programs in Connecticut
- #2 Best Online Master's Programs in Connecticut 2024
- #12 Best Online Bachelor’s of Health Science Degree Programs Ranked for 2024
- #16 Top 18 Most Affordable No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #17 Best Online Master's in Organizational Leadership
- #25 Best Online Master's in Cybersecurity
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
80%
Student body
11K
Career Outlook for degree at Quinnipiac University
Cost of Degree: $51,790Expenses: $18,750Starting Salary: $67,700Cost Recoup Time: 16 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Quinnipiac University known for?
Quinnipiac University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Quinnipiac University’s Online Degrees
BBA in Business Administration
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BSN in Nursing: RN to BSN
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Health Science Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #4 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2024 #6 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2024 #6 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2024 #7 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2024
Other Rankings
- #7 50 Best Colleges and Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2024
- #7 Best Universities in the World 2024
- #7 50 Best Research Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2024
- #1 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024
- #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024
- #1 Best Colleges in Connecticut 2024
- #1 Best Research Universities in Connecticut 2024
- #1 Best Grad Schools in Connecticut 2024
- #2 Best Research Universities for History Degrees
- #2 Best Research Universities for Religious Studies Degrees
- #2 Best Research Universities for Philosophy Degrees
- #3 Best Research Universities for Psychology Degrees
- #3 Best Research Universities for English Degrees
- #3 Best Research Universities for Political Science Degrees
- #3 Best Research Universities for Biology Degrees
- #4 Best Research Universities for Anthropology Degrees
- #5 Best Research Universities for Sociology Degrees
- #5 Best Research Universities for Economics Degrees
- #6 Best Research Universities for Earth Sciences Degrees
- #7 Best Research Universities for Engineering Degrees
- #7 Best Research Universities for Chemistry Degrees
- #8 Best Research Universities for Math Degrees
- #9 Best Research Universities for Computer Science Degrees
- #10 Best Research Universities for Physics Degrees
- #2 Top 20 Best Business Schools for MBAs Ranked for Students
- #7 Best Schools in the World for Earning an MBA Degree Ranked for 2024
- #12 The Fastest Traditional MBA Degree Programs Ranked for 2024
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
5%
Graduation
97%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Career Outlook for degree at Yale University
Cost of Degree: $62,250Expenses: $22,870Starting Salary: $124,400Cost Recoup Time: 13 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Yale University known for?
Yale University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Connecticut’s Best Colleges in Your Area of Interest
Colleges and Universities in Connecticut
Connecticut is home to a variety of top brick-and-mortar schools as well as a wide variety of fully accredited online colleges. Higher education in Connecticut includes both public and private institutions that offer associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, both in person and through online degree programs.
With 19 public schools and 20 private schools, Connecticut gives both traditional and online students plenty of options to choose from.
Students seeking an affordable option can attend one of the state’s numerous community colleges, which average $4,000 a year for tuition. The in-state cost for tuition in Connecticut’s four year public schools ranges from $8,000 to $16,000. Many of the community and public colleges in Connecticut also offer online degree programs.
Students interested in psychology, economics, and communications can check out the University of Connecticut (UConn), which is home to the premier research institute for ecological psychology. Sacred Heart University, a Roman Catholic university, is known for its religious studies and business programs.
Those looking for a smaller student population and more online courses may want to check out Manchester Community College, which enrolls about 4000 students and offers affordable in-person and online degrees in literature, biology, and social work.
And of course, Connecticut is also home to Yale University, the fourth oldest learning institute in the United States. The venerable Ivy League school enrolls just over 15,000 students at its New Haven campus.
Both traditional and online students in Connecticut can choose from a variety of higher education experiences fitting a full spectrum of budgets and career goals. Learn more and begin earning your degree from one of the top brick-and-mortar or online colleges in Connecticut.
What are Connecticut’s Colleges & Universities?
- 7 Research Universities
- 14 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities
- 8 Graduate Schools
- 7 Public Colleges & Universities
- 14 Private Colleges & Universities
- 4 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 11 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students)
- 8 Affordable Colleges (below $20,000/year)
- 12 Community Colleges
- 9 Online Colleges