Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2023

Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2023

Small colleges in Connecticut are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

10 Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2022

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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

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The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Connecticut is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 11 small colleges in Connecticut. The list below of the best small colleges in Connecticut. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

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Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2022

  1. #1

    Wesleyan University

    Middletown , CT
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $62K

    Acceptance

    19%

    Graduation

    91%

    Student body

    3K

  2. #3

    University of Bridgeport

    Bridgeport , CT

    Tuition + fees

    $36K

    Acceptance

    73%

    Graduation

    44%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1025/19

    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
  3. #7

    Charter Oak State College

    New Britain , CT

    Tuition + fees

    $8K

    Student body

    <1K

    Charter Oak State College’s Online Degrees

    BS in Business Administration
    Degree Concentrations
    • Small Business
    • Project Management
    • Human Resources
    • Organizational Management
    • General Business
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Human Resource Management
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Organizational Leadership
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Criminal Justice
    Degree Concentrations
    • General Criminal Justice
    • Victim Advocacy
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Cybersecurity
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in General Studies
    Degree Concentrations
    • Paralegal
    • American Studies
    • History
    • Information Management
    • Political Science
    • Public Affairs
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Early Childhood Education
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in History
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Public Safety Administration
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Sociology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Healthcare Administration'
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Health Information
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Nursing Rn To Bsn
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Child Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  4. #8

    Mitchell College

    New London , CT

    Tuition + fees

    $36K

    Acceptance

    78%

    Graduation

    41%

    Student body

    <1K

    What is Mitchell College known for?

    Mitchell College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

  5. #10

    Albertus Magnus College

    New Haven , CT

    Tuition + fees

    $36K

    Acceptance

    82%

    Graduation

    59%

    Student body

    1K

    Albertus Magnus College’s Online Degrees

    BS in Accounting
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: None Reported
    BS in Business Management
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Finance
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Computer Information Systems
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Criminal Justice
    • Required Credits: 45
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Cybersecurity
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Communication
    • Required Credits: 45
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in General Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Humanities
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Philosophy And Religion
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Social Science
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Sociology
    Degree Concentrations
    • General
    • Criminal Justice
    • Social Work And Social Welfare
    • Urban Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  6. #11

    University of Saint Joseph

    West Hartford , CT

    Tuition + fees

    $43K

    Acceptance

    78%

    Graduation

    56%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1070/23

    What is University of Saint Joseph known for?

    University of Saint Joseph ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

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Connecticut’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

  1. Wesleyan University
  2. Connecticut College
  3. Trinity College
  4. Fairfield University
  5. United States Coast Guard Academy
  6. Eastern Connecticut State University
  7. Albertus Magnus College
  8. University of Saint Joseph