For many students, their ideal college campus is away from the city. Whether they feel at home in a more rural setting, or they’re looking to escape the hustle-and-bustle, there’s a certain serenity that comes with attending a college isolated from the major metropolitan areas.
In this ranking, we looked at the best colleges which are located in rural campuses. By definition, these colleges will be outside of major city limits and may even be surrounded by undeveloped land.
If you’re a student looking for this kind of college experience, then one of these colleges may just offer you the best there is.
Here are the 25 best rural colleges in the U.S.:
25. North Greenville University
No image available.
Tigerville, SC
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,257
Learn more about North Greenville University
24. Toccoa Falls College
By FloNight (Sydney Poore) and Russell Poore (self-made by Russell and Sydney Poore) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Toccoa Falls, GA
Undergraduate enrollment: 870
Learn more about Toccoa Falls College
23. Unity College
No image available.
Unity Falls, ME
Undergraduate enrollment: 553
Learn more about Unity College
22. Hampden-Sydney College
By MorrisS (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Hampden-Sydney, VA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,070
Learn more about Hampden-Sydney College
21. Colby-Sawyer College
By Josephbrophy at English Wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,409
Learn more about Colby-Sawyer College
20. Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
No image available.
Standish, ME
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,276
Learn more about Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
19. University of Idaho
Source: Flickr user jbyoder.
Moscow, ID
Undergraduate enrollment: 9,540
Learn more about the University of Idaho
18. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Source: Flickr user _lisamarie_.
Saint Mary of the Woods, IN
Undergraduate enrollment: 649
Learn more about Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
17. Western Carolina University
By RichardKenni (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
Cullowhee, NC
Undergraduate enrollment: 8,448
Learn more about Western Carolina University
16. Wells College
Source: Flickr user dougtone.
Aurora, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 534
Learn more about Wells College
15. Wilmington College
By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Wilmington, OH
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,169
Learn more about Wilmington College
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14. Stevenson University
Stevenson, MD
Undergraduate enrollment: 3,965
Learn more about Stevenson University
13. Emory & Henry College
Source: Flickr user blueathena7.
Emory, VA
Undergraduate enrollment: 936
Learn more about Emory & Henry College
12. Erskine College
Source: Erskine College. Used with permission, all rights reserved.
Due West, SC
Undergraduate enrollment: 605
Learn more about Erskine College
11. St John’s College
By Capt Swing (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Santa Fe, NM
Undergraduate enrollment: 339
Learn more about St John’s College
10. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Source: Flickr user darrellrhodesmiller.
Baton Rouge, LA
Undergraduate enrollment: 24,923
Learn more about Louisiana State University
9. Principia College
By stannate from St. Louis, MO, US (Principia College) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Elsah, IL
Undergraduate enrollment: 508
Learn more about Principia College
8. Marlboro College
Source: Flickr user redjar.
Marlboro, VT
Undergraduate enrollment: 260
Learn more about Marlboro College
7. Houghton College
Source: Houghton College
Houghton, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,081
Learn more about Houghton College
6. Saint Mary’s College of California
By Smcj0001 (w:File:SMC Pictures 026.jpg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Moraga, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 3,055
Learn more about Saint Mary’s College of California
5. DeSales University
Center Valley, PA
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,482
Learn more about DeSales University
4. Saint Johns University
Source: Flickr user biotour.
Collegeville, MN
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,871
Learn more about Saint Johns University
3. Thomas Aquinas College
Source: Flickr user zeroy.
Santa Paula, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 366
Learn more about Thomas Aquinas College
2. Sewanee-The University of the South
Source: Flickr user auvet.
Sewanee, TN
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,620
1. Hamilton College
Source: Flickr user chuckthewriter.
Clinton, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,620
Learn more about Hamilton College
About our methodology
Colleges are ranked based on a combination of factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, and other data as reported via the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the most recently-available enrollment year. Some colleges may have been excluded from rankings based on certain criteria, including specialization and classification. Learn about our full methodology
View all of the 2016 Best Colleges rankings from College Raptor
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Many of these schools are evangelistic fundamentalist church run schools. Check them out carefully before you attend.
Yes everyone should do there research into the background of a college. However there is no thing as the “evangelistic fundamentalist church” and all these evangelistic fundamentalist churches that run these college are accredited in the same way any non evangelistic fundamentalist church is.
Yes, Mr. Blow, what more could you want for your child!?
I and my wife are both Graduates of Toccoa Falls College and can tell you it is a “Great School” for anyone to attend. They have about 24 more different major degrees when I attend- ed. Great environment and Wonderful Professors and staff. Check them for a Great School.
I also an am alumni of TFC loved it. would encourage anyone to go if they feel so led.
why didn’t you include Sweet Briar College and The University of Connecticut? I have attended both and they are definitely rural!