Key takeaways
- Webb Institute in New York has the smallest student body in the US (of 4-year institutions) with 106 students enrolled.
- Flagler College sits on a 19-acre campus in Florida, one of the smallest campuses in the country.
- You might want to attend a small college if you enjoy more intimate class sizes and more walkable campuses.
Flagler campus. Photograph via Fine Art America.
Webb Institute is one of the smallest 4-year colleges in the United States by enrollment, with just 106 students. By acreage, Flagler College has the smallest campus at just 19 acres. Tiny schools can bring a host of benefits to students such as more networking opportunities and easy-to-navigate campuses, but they often have fewer resources compared to the larger options. Below, we covered 10 of the smallest colleges in the United States by both student body and campus size.
Smallest colleges in the US by enrollment
4-year colleges with small student bodies tend to focus on select majors and have amazing networking opportunities.
1. Webb Institute
- Location: Glen Cove, NY
- Total enrolled: 106
With just over 100 students, Webb Institute is one of the smallest colleges in the United States. It only offers bachelor’s in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. All US students and permanent residents who enroll at the school receive full-tuition scholarship for the entire four years.
2. College of the Atlantic
- Location: Harbor, ME
- Total enrolled: 358
All of the degrees offered at the College of Atlantic are in the human ecology field, with various concentrations available, such as sustainable food systems, humanities, and teacher certification. Its small campus is home to farms that serve as research centers and working farms with livestock, crops, and more.
3. Sweet Briar College
- Location: Sweet Briar, VA
- Total enrolled: 444
A private women’s liberal arts school, Sweet Briar College campus is home to Georgian Revival architecture by Ralph Adams Cram. Many of the buildings are named in the National Register of Historic Places. Most students live on campus – as do the faculty and staff.
4. Soka University of America
- Location: Aliso Viejo, CA
- Total enrolled: 495
Soka University of America offers Bachelor of Liberal Arts degrees with a focus on pacifism, human rights, and nature and humanity coexisting. All students have to study a foreign language for two years before studying abroad for one semester.
5. Eureka College
- Location: Eureka, IL
- Total enrolled: 527
Eureka College was founded in 1848 and chartered in 1855. Alumni include over 40 college and university presidents, members of Congress, governors, and former president Ronald Reagan. It is affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.
6. Thomas Aquinas College
- Location: Santa Paula, CA
- Total enrolled: 566
Thomas Aquinas College, a private Catholic institution, only offers a liberal arts degree, with most of the studies focusing on the Great Books. The Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel is 15,000 square feet and features an 89-foot dome and 135-foot bell tower.
7. Alaska Pacific University
- Location: Anchorage, AK
- Total enrolled: 593
Alaska Pacific University offers up to doctorate degrees, with 479 undergraduates and 114 graduates. Its campus is home to the US Geological Survey’s Alaska Volcano Observatory, Alaska Spine Institute, and Atwood Center, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
8. Lyon College
- Location: Batesville, AR
- Total enrolled: 659
Dating back to 1872, Lyon College is the oldest independent college in the state. Students participate in the Arkansas Scottish Festival in October, and its pipe band performs locally and in Scotland. Students can also bring their pets to their dorms!
9. Whittier College
- Location: Whittier, CA
- Total enrolled: 795
Alumni of Whittier College include director Herschel Daughtery, former CFO of Apple Fred D. Anderson, and author Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Business Administration and Management is the most popular major, followed by Psychology, Biology, and Liberal Science.
10. LaGrange College
- Location: Lagrange, GA
- Total enrolled: 813
LaGrange College, founded in 1831 as LaGrange Female Academy, is the oldest private college in the state. In addition to more than 50 programs, the school offers an aviation program to help students get their commercial pilot certificate.
10 small college campuses in the US
These 10 schools have some of the smallest campuses in the United States by acreage, typically with smaller class sizes. While they’re often easier to navigate than large campuses, these small colleges each bring something unique to the table.
1. Flagler College
- Location: Saint Augustine, FL
- Campus size: 19 acres
The Flagler College 19-acre campus came out of the former Ponce de Leon Hotel, a National Historic Landmark which was built in 1888. The school itself is in the heart of Saint Augustine’s historic district.
2. Scripps College
- Location: Claremont, CA
- Campus size: 32 acres
Scripps College is often listed as one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States. On the National Register of Historic Places, the school was founded as a private liberal arts women’s college, which it remains today.
3. Whittier College
- Location: Whittier, CA
- Campus size: 75 acres
Whittier College is one of the smallest schools in the country, by both enrollment and campus acreage. A Hispanic-Serving Institution, the school was opened in 1887 as the “Whittier Academy” by the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers.
4. Rollins College
- Location: Winter Park, FL
- Campus size: 80 acres
The Rollins College campus is home to Spanish and Mediterranean Revival style architecture, Alfond Boathouse on Lake Virginia, and the Winter Park Institute, which features lectures, exhibits, readings, and more that are open to the public. It has a larger student body than most of the schools on this list, with just over 3,000 students.
5. Agnes Scott College
- Location: Decatur, GA
- Campus size: 91 acres
A women’s school, Agnes Scott College is in a historic district and was named on the National Register of Historic Places. It opened in 1889 as the Decatur Female Seminary, and some buildings on campus date back to the late 1890s and early 1900s.
6. Augustana University
- Location: Sioux Falls, SD
- Campus size: 100 acres
Augustana University was founded in 1860 and nicknamed “the college on wheels.” The school moved from multiple locations until it settled on its now permanent campus in Sioux Falls. The Administration Building, the third structure built on the campus which opened in 1920, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was considered “one of the most up-to-date buildings of its kind in the state.”
7. Soka University of America
- Location: Aliso Viejo, CA
- Campus size: 103 acres
In addition to being one of the smallest schools in the country based on enrollment, Soka University of America also has a very small campus. All of the buildings were designed to resemble an Italian hillside village in Tuscany. SUA is located just south of Los Angeles and is nearly surrounded by the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park.
8. Eureka College
- Location: Eureka, IL
- Campus size: 112 acres
Eureka College’s Burrus Dickinson Hall and chapel are on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s home to the Ronald Reagan Museum and Peace Gardens, which includes exhibits of the former president’s items and memorabilia.
9. Florida Southern College
- Location: Lakeland, FL
- Campus size: 113 acres
Florida Southern College boasts the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in a single place. It’s also named a National Historic Landmark and has been named to most beautiful campus lists in previous years. Expansion projects’ style compliments the rest of the campus.
10. Eastern University
- Location: Davids, PA
- Campus size: 114 acres
Originally a private state, Eastern University’s campus features the Warner Memorial Library, Edison Room, and Bradstreet Observatory. Many students major in Registered Nursing, Early Childhood and Family Studies, and Business Administration and Management.
Should you attend a small school?
Attending a small school – whether in enrollment or campus size – can have several benefits:
- More chance to connect with professors: Smaller student bodies usually have higher student-to-faculty ratios, which means classes have fewer students. As a result, it can be easier to connect and network with your professors.
- Tight-knit community: With smaller schools, you’ll see your fellow students much more often and get to know them better. This can lead to tighter connections and fun campus events.
- Easy to get around: Small colleges tend to have easy-to-navigate and smaller campuses, making walking to your classes a breeze. Unless you’re in a rural area, you often don’t need a car!
However, there are some downsides to consider as well:
- Fewer programs: Smaller colleges almost always have fewer programs and majors to choose from compared to larger schools – some even only have one or two. If you decide to change your area of study, you might have to transfer to a different college
- Less facilities and resources: Small schools tend to have limited budgets, which means smaller libraries, less technology, and smaller gyms. They might also have less financial aid to hand out to students.
- Fewer clubs and extracurriculars: With a smaller student body, it’s only natural that there would be fewer extracurriculars to choose from. You might have a hard time finding a group to make a new club, too.
Keep in mind that these are just common factors of smaller schools. Some colleges with small student bodies have massive campuses, while some tiny colleges have large financial aid budgets. Research a school in its entirety to find out if it’s right for you.
If a small college sounds right for you, College Raptor can help you navigate your options. Start with our College Match to start discovering schools today.
