Best colleges in Connecticut

While the best colleges in Connecticut tend to revolve around the iconic Yale University, it would be remiss to overlook the University of Connecticut, celebrated for its academic prowess, cutting-edge research, and exceptional athletic programs. Its proximity to New York City also affords students with extensive internship opportunities and avenues for professional growth. Alternatively, institutions like Trinity College and the University of New Haven draw in students with their exciting urban settings and vibrant social scenes.

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Studying in Connecticut

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The best colleges in Connecticut

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#1 in Connecticut | #10 in National Universities

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

Economic score 0.85

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $15,296

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $88,655

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 97%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#2 in Connecticut | #86 in National Universities

University of Connecticut

Storrs, Connecticut

Economic score 1.95

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $22,974

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $72,460

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 84%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#3 in Connecticut | #108 in National Universities

Fairfield University

Fairfield, Connecticut

Economic score 2.21

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $36,633

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $86,060

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 82%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#4 in Connecticut | #32 in Liberal Arts

Connecticut College

New London, Connecticut

Economic score 2.50

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $30,977

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $71,239

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 84%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#5 in Connecticut | #36 in Liberal Arts

Wesleyan University

Middletown, Connecticut

Economic score 2.61

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $28,813

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $68,102

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 92%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#6 in Connecticut
Economic score 3.14

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $16,723

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $52,515

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 61%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#7 in Connecticut | #264 in National Universities

Quinnipiac University

Hamden, Connecticut

Economic score 3.51

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $41,230

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $75,575

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 78%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#8 in Connecticut | #74 in Liberal Arts

Trinity College

Hartford, Connecticut

Economic score 3.51

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $32,694

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $68,317

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 83%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#9 in Connecticut
Economic score 3.72

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $18,166

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $53,289

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 51%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#10 in Connecticut

Albertus Magnus College

New Haven, Connecticut

Economic score 3.86

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $26,613

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $55,262

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 70%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#11 in Connecticut | #315 in National Universities

Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, Connecticut

Economic score 4.02

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $42,431

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $72,191

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 73%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#12 in Connecticut
Economic score 4.20

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $19,290

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $49,907

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 60%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#13 in Connecticut | #346 in National Universities

University of Hartford

West Hartford, Connecticut

Economic score 4.45

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $28,712

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $58,087

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 61%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#14 in Connecticut
Economic score 4.60

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $20,830

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $51,551

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 54%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#15 in Connecticut | #360 in National Universities

University of Bridgeport

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Economic score 4.65

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $25,084

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $50,003

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 57%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#16 in Connecticut

Goodwin University

East Hartford, Connecticut

Economic score 5.54

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $18,127

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $36,488

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 49%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#17 in Connecticut

University of Saint Joseph

West Hartford, Connecticut

Economic score 6.03

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $24,569

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $46,100

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 60%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

#18 in Connecticut

University of New Haven

West Haven, Connecticut

Economic score 6.28

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $35,735

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $52,610

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 61%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

Mitchell College

New London, Connecticut

Economic score 14.33

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $24,609

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $36,391

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 44%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not  displayed.

Average income based on education level

The following figures are the average salaries in Connecticut for each level of education.

Average Income

The average income of people in this state with a high-school diploma, certificate, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree, 10 years after enrollment, based on 2021-2022 CSC data.

HS Diploma $26,000
Certificate N/A
Associate $36,488
Bachelor $64,896
Master $69,176

Cost of attending college in Connecticut

In-state-tuition $30,217

The average in-state tuition, before financial aid, of all 4-year institutions in the state. Includes public, private, online, on-campus, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Based on 2021-2022 CSC data.

Out-of-state-tuition $36,497

The average tuition for out-of-state students, before financial aid of all 4-year institutions in the state. Includes public, private, online, on-campus, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Based on 2021-2022 CSC data.

Most popular degrees in Connecticut

In Connecticut the most popular degrees are Business Administration, Registered Nursing, and Psychology. To create this list, we complied and analyzed data from IPEDS and College Scorecard. 

They both provide information on how many graduates each program has annually. The list below is both undergraduate- and graduate-level programs.  

Fastest growing careers

Connecticut job growth 12%

Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers
81.3%
Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors
50%
Nurse Practitioners
47.9%
Epidemiologists
46.2%
Massage Therapists
40.7%
Dental Hygienists
35%
Dental Assistants
34.5%
Marriage and Family Therapists
31.9%
Physician Assistants
30.6%
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
30%

Best bachelor’s degrees in Connecticut

These majors are most likely to pay off economically after graduation.

Best colleges for social mobility in Connecticut

Higher education is supposed to act as an economic elevator that lifts students from low-income households into the middle class. But not all colleges do this: unfortunately, many of the nation’s most “prestigious” schools accept very few students from low-income backgrounds. 

To determine what colleges are doing the best job at lifting students out of poverty, we have devised a Social Mobility Index (SMI).  

The best colleges for social mobility in Connecticut are shown below.

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Propel your career from anywhere.

Take our quiz to find the online degree that’s best for you. Compare hundreds of schools and apply to your dream college today.