Benefits of Attending a Small College

Small colleges and universities, or institutions with 1,000 students or less, offer students a more intimate experience. Classes are small and less likely to be held in large lecture halls. In fact, students are more likely to develop relationships with their professors and connect with other students on campus.

Professors at small colleges like Antioch College, which has a 6-to-1 student-faculty ratio, are able to devote themselves to teaching because they are not pressed to meet research requirements like at large universities.

Classes also are more likely to be taught by a professor instead of graduate students because most small schools do not offer advanced degrees. Students have the opportunity to participate in class and ask questions, an added benefit.

Students at small schools also receive superior academic advising because advisers are not bogged down while tending to hundreds of students.

Because students aren’t adrift in a sea of thousands of other pupils, campus life tends to be closely knit. Other students and faculty are likely to know your name. It’s also easier to get a recommendation for an internship or a job.

Lastly, but not least, small campuses also offer a greater chance of receiving a more comprehensive financial aid package. There are fewer people competing for the same pot of money.

Here’s a list of popular colleges with 1,000 or fewer students:

Alice Lloyd College (Pippa Passes, KY)

Antioch College (Yellow Springs, OH)

Beacon College (Leesburg, FL)

Bethany College (Bethany, WV)

Bethany College (Lindsborg, KS)

Centenary College of Louisiana (Shreveport, LA)

Cleveland Institute of Art (Cleveland, OH)

Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, OH)

Columbia College Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA)

Cox College (Springfield, MO)

Cottey College (Nevada, MO)

Criswell College (Dallas, TX)

Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, PA)

Eureka College (Eureka, IL)

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Needham, MA)

Goddard College (Plainfield, VT)

Goshen College (Goshen, IN)

Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT)

Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA)

Holy Cross College (Notre Dame, IN)

Illinois College (Jacksonville, IL)

John Paul the Great Catholic University (Escondido, CA)

MacMurray College (Jacksonville, IL)

Marlboro College (Marlboro, VT)

Mitchell College (New London, CT)

Nazarene Bible College (Colorado Springs, CO)

Nebraska Christian College (Papillion, NE)

Northland College (Ashland, WI)

O’More College of Design (Franklin, TN)

Principia College (Elsah, IL)

Ripon College (Ripon, WI)

Rocky Mountain College (Billings, MT)

San Francisco Art Institute (San Francisco, CA)

Shimer College (Chicago, IL)

Sweet Briar College (Sweet Briar, VA)

The Juilliard School (New York, NY)

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, NH)

Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, MS)

Union College (Lincoln, NE)

University of the Ozarks (Clarksville, AR)

University of Providence (Great Falls, MT)

University of Valley Forge (Phoenixville, PA)

Villa Maria College (Buffalo, NY)

Wabash College (Crawfordsville, IN)

Webb Institute (Glen Cove, NY)

Webber International University (Babson Park, FL)

Welch College (Nashville, TN)

Wesleyan College (Macon, GA)

William Peace University (Raleigh, NC)

Finding Your Perfect College Fit With Cappex

Now that we walked talked about the advantages of attending a small college, you'll probably want to work on building your college list. Start by looking at photos online, taking virtual campus tours, and then consider in-person tours. Be sure to ask the right questions when talking to each of the schools, and take advantage of any fly-in and diversity programs to offset the cost of in-person visits if you're eligible for them. 

To get a curated list of perfect-match schools based on what's most important to you —from budget to majors to style, click the link below and create a free Cappex account.