Little Ivies

Ivy League universities are eight higher education institutions in the United States known for their academic excellence and admissions selectivity.

They are known all over the world for their prestige and being the best in providing higher education to their students. But there are other smaller colleges and universities that are known for their strict admissions, elitism, and high academic standards as much as the Ivy League universities. These other schools are called the Little Ivies.

Unlike Ivy League, Little Ivies is not an official organization. Although there are several variations as to which colleges are really part of the Little Ivies, it is commonly agreed that these schools are part of the New England Small College Athletic Conference or have been mentioned in Greene and Greene’s guide, Hidden Ivies: Thirty Colleges of Excellence.

They are small and exclusive liberal arts colleges in the northeastern part of the United States.

These Little Ivies are the following:

• Amherst College
• Bates College
• Bowdoin College
• Colby College
• Connecticut College
• Hamilton College
• Haverford College
• Middlebury College
• Swarthmore College
• Trinity College
• Tufts University
• Wesleyan University
• Williams College

Aside from Connecticut College and Trinity College, these schools are member of the  New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Bowdoin College and Williams College were established in the late 18th Century. The rest were established in the 19th Century, except for Connecticut College was founded in 1911. The air of exclusivity surrounding these schools can partly be attributed to their long history and established traditions. They are also known to turn down applications of many smart college aspirants all over the country.