Principia College
Principia College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Principia College Featured Rankings
About Principia College
According to Wikipedia, Principia College is a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. It was founded in 1912 by Mary Kimball Morgan with the purpose of "serving the Cause of Christian Science." "Although the College is not affiliated with the Christian Science Church, the practice of Christian Science is the cornerstone of campus life."
Principia College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 268 | 44% | 83% | 71% | 1145 | 21 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2023; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Principia College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $35,930 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
Principia College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 379 | 379 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Principia College?
Principia College is located at 1 Maybeck Place, Elsah, IL 62028-9799.
How Safe is Principia College?
No violent or property offenses were reported on Principia College’s campus in 2024. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Principia College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft).
What Is Principia College Known For?
Principia College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Literature
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Political Science
- History
- Earth Sciences
- Engineering
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Religious Studies
- Business
- Philosophy
- Economics
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Education
- Mathematics
Principia College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Principia College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Principia College ranks #337 in the U.S. and #1018 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesPrincipia College ranks #395 in the U.S. and #1386 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesPrincipia College ranks #422 in the U.S. and #1295 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesPrincipia College ranks #474 in the U.S. and #1942 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesPrincipia College ranks #906 in the U.S. and #2825 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesPrincipia College ranks #967 in the U.S. and #3598 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesPrincipia College ranks #1062 in the U.S. and #5616 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesPrincipia College ranks #1089 in the U.S. and #4506 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesPrincipia College ranks #1105 in the U.S. and #4470 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesPrincipia College ranks #1172 in the U.S. and #5459 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesPrincipia College ranks #1180 in the U.S. and #4363 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesPrincipia College ranks #1185 in the U.S. and #3929 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesPrincipia College ranks #1297 in the U.S. and #6453 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesPrincipia College ranks #1310 in the U.S. and #4952 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesPrincipia College ranks #2105 in the U.S. and #8245 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesPrincipia College ranks #2420 in the U.S. and #8955 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesPrincipia College ranks #3139 in the U.S. and #10570 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesWho Are Principia College's Most Influential Alumni?
Principia College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Literature, Anthropology, and Sociology. Here are some of Principia College's most famous alumni:
- Arend Lijphart
- A Dutch political scientist.
- Ron Charles
- An American literary critic.
- Robert Duvall
- An American actor and director.
- Bruce Jacob
- An American academic.
- Terry Melcher
- An American record producer .
- Peter Horton
- An American actor.
- Emily Fridlund
- An American writer and academic.
- Robert Bruegmann
- An American academic.
- Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
- An American novelist, short story writer and journalist.
- Richard Fork
- A Physicist.
- David M. Lubin
- An American historian.
- John Andrews
- An American politician.
