Top Rated U.S. Private Colleges
These are the top ranked private four-year colleges in the United States. Leading the rankings for 2027 as the highest ranked private college in America is Princeton University. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Gettysburg College
- Private 4 Year
- Gettysburg, PA
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5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Gettysburg is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate history and political science. The campus borders Gettysburg National Military Park and the Civil War battlefield.
- SAT Range 1270-1460
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 39%
- Net Price $32,769
Mount Holyoke College
- Private 4 Year
- South Hadley, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Mount Holyoke is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, international relations, and economics. The South Hadley campus is part of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst.
- SAT Range 1380-1530
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 36%
- Net Price $32,526
George Washington University
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, DC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 5 application deadline
George Washington is a private university known for undergraduate international affairs, political science, and public policy. The urban Foggy Bottom campus sits near the White House and major federal agencies.
- SAT Range 1350-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 47%
- Net Price $46,485
Bryn Mawr College
- Private 4 Year
- Bryn Mawr, PA
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| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Bryn Mawr is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, archaeology, and classics. The suburban Main Line campus outside Philadelphia shares courses and resources with nearby Haverford and Swarthmore.
- SAT Range 1280-1510
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Acceptance Rate 29%
- Net Price $33,221
Union College
- Private 4 Year
- Schenectady, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Union is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering alongside the sciences and social sciences. Most students belong to Minerva Houses that organize dining and campus social life.
- SAT Range 1310-1480
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $42,137
University of Denver
- Private 4 Year
- Denver, CO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
University of Denver is a private university known for undergraduate international studies and business. The campus sits in a residential Denver neighborhood near the Rocky Mountains.
- SAT Range 1240-1410
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $45,451
Whitman College
- Private 4 Year
- Walla Walla, WA
-
3.4 | 5 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Whitman is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, chemistry, and environmental studies. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Walla Walla.
- SAT Range 1310-1480
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $37,633
The University of the South
- Private 4 Year
- Sewanee, TN
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Sewanee is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate English, creative writing, and environmental studies. The campus occupies a 13,000-acre domain on Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau.
- SAT Range 1260-1390
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $34,815
Brandeis University
- Private 4 Year
- Waltham, MA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Brandeis is a private university known for undergraduate neuroscience, biology, and the social sciences. The suburban campus in Waltham sits just west of Boston.
- SAT Range 1390-1520
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $43,550
Rhode Island School of Design
- Private 4 Year
- Providence, RI
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
RISD is a highly selective private art and design college known for undergraduate fine arts, industrial design, and architecture. The urban Providence campus borders Brown University and offers a dual-degree program with it.
- SAT Range 1396-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 19%
- Net Price $43,492
Connecticut College
- Private 4 Year
- New London, CT
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and international relations. Much of the campus sits within a large arboretum overlooking the Thames River.
- SAT Range 1350-1500
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 37%
- Net Price $45,700
American University
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, DC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
American University is a private university known for undergraduate international relations, political science, and communications. The residential campus sits in northwest Washington, D.C., near the city's diplomatic quarter.
- SAT Range 1280-1460
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $39,676
Denison University
- Private 4 Year
- Granville, OH
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Denison is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, the sciences, and theatre. Most students live on the hillside residential campus in the village of Granville.
- SAT Range 1320-1490
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 17%
- Net Price $43,721
Muhlenberg College
- Private 4 Year
- Allentown, PA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Muhlenberg is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate theater, biology, and media and communication. The residential campus sits in Allentown in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.
- SAT Range 1250-1410
- Avg GPA 3.44
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $34,739
Macalester College
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Paul, MN
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Macalester is a selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international studies, political science, and economics. The urban campus sits in Saint Paul within the Twin Cities.
- SAT Range 1350-1510
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 29%
- Net Price $40,225
DePauw University
- Private 4 Year
- Greencastle, IN
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
DePauw is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and communication. Most students join the large Greek system on its college-town campus in Greencastle.
- SAT Range 1200-1410
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $31,411
Chapman University
- Private 4 Year
- Orange, CA
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Chapman is a private university known for undergraduate film, media arts, and performing arts. The suburban campus is in the city of Orange in Southern California's Orange County.
- SAT Range 1260-1440
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $47,902
Furman University
- Private 4 Year
- Greenville, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Furman is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate biology, political science, and business. The residential campus centers on a lake just outside Greenville.
- SAT Range 1260-1430
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $34,086