Small colleges in DC 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.
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in DC is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 4 small colleges and universities in DC; all of which satisfy our criteria. The list below of the best small colleges in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Concentrated Influence”. Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
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.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
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Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
74%
Student body
5K
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The Catholic University of America’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$17K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
44%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
915/16
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Gallaudet University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
46%
Student body
1K
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Trinity Washington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
23%
Student body
3K
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University of the District of Columbia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
What are Custom College Rankings?
College Strategist
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