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POPULATION (2021): 3.6 million

CAPITAL: Hartford

LARGEST PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN CONNECTICUT: University of Connecticut

LARGEST PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN CONNECTICUT: Post University

Even though Connecticut is one of the smallest states by area, it offers something for pretty much anyone, with beaches, farmland, history, and city life for those residents near the parts of the state that border New York City and Boston. The largest city within the borders of the state is Bridgeport, with about 150,000 people. 

A handful of other cities spread across the state are similar in size and similar in character. One thing they share is a bit of a college feel, with many parks, waterfronts, and things to enjoy. 

Universities in  Connecticut – 4-Year Colleges and Online (Priority Section)

A silver lining to having a small land area is that there is always a college or university close no matter where you call home in the state of Connecticut. Several of the colleges and universities have a lot of clout as educational institutions, with Yale taking the top spot in that category. Several other options exist both in the public and private sectors, and here is a closer look at the universities and colleges in Connecticut. 

Public Universities in Connecticut

The largest public university in Connecticut is the University of Connecticut, with an enrollment of just over 35,000 as of 2020. In addition, there are several locationally named state schools, with Southern Connecticut State and Central Connecticut State each serving more than 10,000 students. Western Connecticut State, Eastern Connecticut State, and Charter Oak State College are the other 4-year public universities in Connecticut.

The federally funded U.S. Coast Guard Academy is also located in Connecticut, though the experience here is much different than in other public colleges. 

Private Universities in Connecticut

Post University is the largest private college in Connecticut by enrollment, but Yale is only a bit smaller, as are Sacred Heart University and Quinnipiac University. Other private universities in Connecticut that offer 4-year degrees are:

• Connecticut College
• Goodwin University
• Trinity College
• University of Bridgeport
• University of Hartford
• University of New Haven
• Wesleyan University
• Albert Magnus College
• Fairfield University
• University of Saint Joseph

Community Colleges in Connecticut

In addition to several options for 4-year universities in both the public and private sectors, the community college options in Connecticut are also aplenty, and many offer 4-year programs as well. Here is a list of the community colleges in Connecticut:

• Asnuntuck CC
• Capital CC
• Gateway CC
• Housatonic CC
• Manchester CC
• Middlesex CC
• Naugatuck Valley CC
• Quinebaug Valley CC
• Norwalk CC
• Three Rivers CC
• Tunxis CC

Prominent Online Colleges in Connecticut

No online school in Connecticut flies high above any of the others, but all of the public universities in Connecticut offers some kind of hybrid program for degrees, with the majority having fully online degrees. The community college system also serves its students’ flexibility needs by offering several courses online, many of which can be taken at the student’s own pace. 

Get to Know Connecticut

Connecticut likes to pride itself on having a little something for everyone and being a great place to raise a family. The latter may not appeal to every college student, but the state’s proximity to all of the big cities in the Northeast means a lot of options for work after college, and many people who attend school here do, indeed, return when it’s time to settle down a little. 

Many of the residents in the southwestern part of the state commute to work in New York City, and the same is true for residents in the northeast and Boston. These areas are quite densely populated, but much of the central part of the state is rolling hills, rivers, and an abundance of plants and wildlife for the outdoorsy types. 

Both secondary and postsecondary education is heralded in the state of Connecticut, and most of the cities offer a bit of a college feel. Chic downtown areas are common in the cities of Connecticut, and arts and music are also popular given the proximity to all the stages that New York and Boston have to offer. 

If you’re not a big fan of the cold, make sure to pack a few extra layers if you plan on attending college in Connecticut. As nice as the ocean is to look at and enjoy in the summer, it also makes for some killer wind in the winter for those students going to college in one of the coastal areas. No matter where you decide to go to college in Connecticut, however, you can rest assured you’ll be met with a welcoming town and a relaxed college atmosphere.

Institution Name	City	State	Website	Degree Levels Offered	Modality	Profit Status (CNTLAFFI)
Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology	Wallingford	CT	www.academydicapelli.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Ace Cosmetology and Barber Training Center	Waterbury	CT	acecosmetologybarbertraining.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Albertus Magnus College	New Haven	CT	www.albertus.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters	Campus	No
American Institute of Healthcare & Technology	Stratford	CT	www.aiht.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
American Institute-West Hartford	West Hartford	CT	www.americaninstitute.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Asnuntuck Community College	Enfield	CT	www.Asnuntuck.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Belle Academy of Cosmetology LLC	Waterbury	CT	www.belleacademy.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Branford Academy of Hair and Cosmetology	Branford	CT	www.branfordacademy.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Branford Hall Career Institute-Branford Campus	Branford	CT	www.schooliya.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Branford Hall Career Institute-Southington Campus	Southington	CT	www.branfordhall.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Bristol Technical Education Center	Bristol	CT	www.cttech.org	Certificates	Campus	No
Capital Community College	Hartford	CT	www.ccc.commnet.edu	Certificates Associates	Hybrid	No
Central Connecticut State University	New Britain	CT	www2.ccsu.edu	Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Hybrid	No
Charter Oak State College	New Britain	CT	www.charteroak.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters	Online	No
Connecticut College	New London	CT	www.conncoll.edu	Bachelors	Campus	No
Cortiva Institute-Cromwell	Cromwell	CT	www.cortiva.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
CT Aero Tech School	Hartford	CT	ctaero.cttech.org	Certificates	Campus	No
Dolce LLC The Academy	Waterbury	CT	www.dolceacademy.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Eastern Connecticut State University	Willimantic	CT	www.easternct.edu	Associates Bachelors Masters	Campus	No
European Academy of Cosmetology and Hairdressing	Guilford	CT	www.teachbeauty.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Fairfield University	Fairfield	CT	fairfield.edu	Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
Gateway Community College	New Haven	CT	www.gatewayct.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Goodwin College	East Hartford	CT	www.goodwin.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters	Campus	No
Hartford Seminary	Hartford	CT	www.hartsem.edu	Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
Holy Apostles College and Seminary	Cromwell	CT	www.holyapostles.edu	Associates Bachelors Masters	Online	No
Housatonic Community College	Bridgeport	CT	www.hcc.commnet.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Industrial Management Training Institute	Waterbury	CT	IMTI.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
International Institute of Cosmetology	Wethersfield	CT	www.studyhair.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Lincoln Technical Institute-East Windsor	East Windsor	CT	www.lincolntech.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Lincoln Technical Institute-New Britain	New Britain	CT	www.lincolntech.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Lincoln Technical Institute-Shelton	Shelton	CT	www.lincolntech.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Manchester Community College	Manchester	CT	www.manchestercc.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Middlesex Community College	Middletown	CT	www.mxcc.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Mitchell College	New London	CT	www.mitchell.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors	Campus	No
Naugatuck Valley Community College	Waterbury	CT	nv.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Connecticut	Somers	CT	WWW.NETTTS.COM	Certificates	Campus	No
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of CT-Bridgeport	Bridgeport	CT	www.nettts.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Northwestern Connecticut Community College	Winsted	CT	www.nwcc.commnet.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Norwalk Community College	Norwalk	CT	norwalk.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Oxford Academy of Hair Design Inc	Seymour	CT	www.oxfordhairacademy.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Paier College of Art Inc	Hamden	CT	www.paiercollegeofart.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors	Campus	No
Paul Mitchell the School-North Haven	North Haven	CT	paulmitchell.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden	Hamden	CT	www.porterchester.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Porter and Chester Institute of Stratford	Stratford	CT	www.porterchester.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Post University	Waterbury	CT	www.post.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters	Campus	No
Quinebaug Valley Community College	Danielson	CT	qvcc.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Quinnipiac University	Hamden	CT	www.qu.edu	Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Hybrid	No
Rensselaer at Hartford	Hartford	CT	ewp.rpi.edu	Masters	Campus	No
Ricci's Academy of Cosmetology	Newtown	CT	newtown.toniguy.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Sacred Heart University	Fairfield	CT	www.sacredheart.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
Southern Connecticut State University	New Haven	CT	www.southernct.edu	Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
Stone Academy-East Hartford	East Hartford	CT	www.stoneacademy.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Stone Academy-Waterbury	Waterbury	CT	www.stone.edu	Certificates	Campus	No
Stone Academy-West Haven	West Haven	CT	www.stoneacademy.com	Certificates	Campus	No
Stratford School for Aviation Maintenance Technicians	Stratford	CT	www.cttech.org	Certificates	Campus	No
Three Rivers Community College	Norwich	CT	www.threerivers.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
Trinity College	Hartford	CT	www.trincoll.edu	Bachelors Masters	Campus	No
Tunxis Community College	Farmington	CT	www.tunxis.edu	Certificates Associates	Campus	No
United States Coast Guard Academy	New London	CT	www.uscga.edu	Bachelors	Campus	No
University of Bridgeport	Bridgeport	CT	www.bridgeport.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Hybrid	No
University of Connecticut	Storrs	CT	uconn.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
University of Connecticut-Avery Point	Groton	CT	uconn.edu	Associates Bachelors		No
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus	Hartford	CT	hartford.uconn.edu	Associates Bachelors		No
University of Connecticut-Stamford	Stamford	CT	uconn.edu	Associates Bachelors		No
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus	Waterbury	CT	uconn.edu	Associates Bachelors		No
University of Hartford	West Hartford	CT	www.hartford.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
University of New Haven	West Haven	CT	www.newhaven.edu	Certificates Associates Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
University of Saint Joseph	West Hartford	CT	www.usj.edu	Certificates Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Online	No
Wesleyan University	Middletown	CT	www.wesleyan.edu	Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
Western Connecticut State University	Danbury	CT	www.wcsu.edu	Associates Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No
Yale University	New Haven	CT	www.yale.edu	Certificates Bachelors Masters Doctorate	Campus	No