Top 5 Smallest Colleges

5. Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts – 151 Students

Small or not, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts has been named a “Best College” numerous times. Located in Old Lyme, Connecticut, the college is only two hours from New York as well as Boston, and most students take advantage of the prime location. This college is strictly meant for those interested in art, whether it be painting, sculpting, or drawing. Lyme Academy is so widely praised that even the New York Times spoke out about it, stating “. . . many in the art world believe the (Lyme) Academy has contributed to the renaissance of representational art.”
4. Sterling College – 105 Students


Nestled in the northern Green Mountains of Vermont, Sterling College utilizes its setting as a natural laboratory offering Self-Designed Bachelor of Arts Degrees in six areas of environmental studies: Sustainable Agriculture, Conservation Ecology, Outdoor Education & Leadership, Environmental Humanities, Natural History, and Northern Studies. Sterling’s focus on experiential education — the philosophy of educators engaging students through direct, hands-on experience — is emphasized in Sterling’s motto, “Working Hands, Working Minds.” As one of the nation seven Work Colleges all students work on campus and in the surrounding community for a portion of tuition cost. Academics are an integrated aspect of daily life, both in the classroom and outside in nature and the community (Sterling College).
3. Thomas More College – 84 Students

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts sits on 14 acres in Merrimack, New Hampshire. It is a Roman Catholic college and all students spend one semester in Italy, living in a monastery and studying at the Rome campus, just five miles away from St. Peter’s Basilica. According to the college’s website, students will have “visited over 100 baroque churches, Roman architectural sites, Renaissance palazzos, or catacombs” and “translated over 1,000 lines of Homer, Cicero, or other Classical authors” after four years of study.
2. Shimer College – 81 Students

Calling itself the “Great Books College of Chicago,” Shimer College is definitely set out to attract certain students in the world. The college has been around for 157 years, founded by Frances Wood Shimer and Cinderella Gregory. Shimer is a liberal arts college and only offers three majors: natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The college focuses a lot of attention on “The Great Books” which include titles such as The Bible, The Iliad, Agamemnon, Oedipus Rex, Paradise Lost, Spirit of Laws, and plenty of others. Despite its narrow focus of study, Shimer College also claims its goal is to create well-rounded students, all 81 of them.
1. Alaska Bible College – 38 Students

At 38 students strong, the Alaska Bible College remains the smallest accredited college in the U.S. Just by its name you would assume the college is geared towards Christianity, and you’d be right. The college aims to provide hands-on ministry as a way to join God and follow his footsteps. The college has been around for 40 years and only offers a few programs to get involved in: pastoral studies, bible and ministry certificate, and a few others. If you ever were to attend ABC, you would more than likely spend your spare time ice-fishing or dog sledding. How’s that for unique?
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