Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 2024

Badge for BEST IN CONNECTICUT PRIVATE COLLEGES

Updated: Oct 16, 2023

Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Connecticut.

Yale University
Wesleyan University
Trinity College
Connecticut College
University of Hartford
Fairfield University
University of Bridgeport
Quinnipiac University
University of New Haven
Sacred Heart University

University of New Haven 91%
Quinnipiac University 84%
University of Hartford 83%
University of Bridgeport 82%
Albertus Magnus College 80%
Mitchell College 77%
University of Saint Joseph 75%
Sacred Heart University 66%
Fairfield University 52%
Connecticut College 40%

University of New Haven 19 to 1
Sacred Heart University 16 to 1
Post University 16 to 1
Albertus Magnus College 15 to 1
University of Bridgeport 14 to 1
Fairfield University 12 to 1
Mitchell College 12 to 1
Quinnipiac University 11 to 1
Connecticut College 10 to 1
University of Hartford 8 to 1

Wesleyan University $64,322
Trinity College $63,930
Connecticut College $63,005
Yale University $62,250
Fairfield University $54,455
Quinnipiac University $51,790
Sacred Heart University $46,580
University of Hartford $46,148
University of Saint Joseph $44,366
University of New Haven $44,184

Wesleyan University $63,722
Yale University $46,900
Sacred Heart University $34,852
Albertus Magnus College $22,176
Fairfield University $20,034
Quinnipiac University $19,710
University of Bridgeport $19,096
Trinity College $18,780
University of New Haven $18,360
University of Saint Joseph $14,850

University of Saint Joseph
Albertus Magnus College
Mitchell College
Post University
Sacred Heart University
University of New Haven
University of Hartford
Connecticut College
University of Bridgeport
Fairfield University

University of Saint Joseph
Mitchell College
Albertus Magnus College
Post University
Sacred Heart University
University of New Haven
Quinnipiac University
University of Bridgeport
Fairfield University
University of Hartford

Yale University 5%
Wesleyan University 14%
Trinity College 36%
Connecticut College 40%
Fairfield University 52%
Sacred Heart University 66%
University of Saint Joseph 75%
Mitchell College 77%
Albertus Magnus College 80%
University of Bridgeport 82%

Yale University 6 to 1
Wesleyan University 7 to 1
University of Hartford 8 to 1
University of Saint Joseph 8 to 1
Trinity College 8 to 1
Connecticut College 10 to 1
Quinnipiac University 11 to 1
Fairfield University 12 to 1
Mitchell College 12 to 1
University of Bridgeport 14 to 1

Post University $16,610
University of Bridgeport $35,760
Mitchell College $37,250
Albertus Magnus College $37,682
University of New Haven $44,184
University of Saint Joseph $44,366
University of Hartford $46,148
Sacred Heart University $46,580
Quinnipiac University $51,790
Fairfield University $54,455

Post University $7,118
University of Hartford $14,652
University of Saint Joseph $14,850
University of New Haven $18,360
Trinity College $18,780
University of Bridgeport $19,096
Quinnipiac University $19,710
Fairfield University $20,034
Albertus Magnus College $22,176
Sacred Heart University $34,852

Table of Contents

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?

Connecticut’s Best Overall

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

How do we determine Connecticut's best private colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 14 private universities in Connecticut. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Connecticut, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.