What are the "little ivy", the "little three", and the "hidden ivy"?

Most people are familiar with Ivy League universities and have a pretty good idea that it is extremely prestigious to attend one of them. There are many, many other universities that are very rigorous academically and difficult to get into. The term The Little Three, The Little Ivies, and The Hidden Ivies is sometimes confusing to follow. Not only do they have similar names, I was surprised to hear that some parents had never heard of some of the colleges and didn’t realize the magnitude of the accomplishment of their daughter being accepted. Below is an explanation of the different groupings. I hope having a list in one place helps.

the ivy league consists of 8 schools that compete in the same NCAA Division 1 athletic conference. The schools are Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Dartmouth, and Cornell.

Ivy League schools are considered to be some of the most prestigious and top-ranked universities. According to US News and World Report college and university rankings, all Ivy League institutions rank in the top 15 with 5 in the top 5.

They are all located in the northeastern region of the United States.

Enrollment ranges from 4,000 to 14,000 undergraduate students, making them larger than most private liberal arts colleges but smaller than a state university. Athletic scholarships are not awarded; financial aid is based on need.

The “Little Three” is an unofficial athletic conference of three elite liberal arts colleges: Amherst, Wesleyan, and Williams. These are three of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation and they are very difficult to get into. The Little Three began competing in this triangular league in 1899 and in 1920 they received the nickname “Little Three”. This contrasts with the “Big Three” universities (Harvard, Yale and Princeton, HYP), in the Ivy League.

The NESCAC or New England Small College Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division 3 athletic conference of 11 highly selective liberal arts colleges: Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, and Tufts. There are rules regarding the length of the season, the number of contests, and postseason competition. There are no sports scholarships; financial aid is based solely on need.

The “little ivy” it is not an official term or group. Refers to a small group of highly selective liberal arts colleges. The list includes all colleges in the NESCAC (above) except Connecticut College, along with Colgate, Haverford, Swarthmore, and Vassar. Also note that Tufts is no longer a small College of Liberal Arts, but has grown into a larger research university.

As you can see, all of the colleges listed above are highly selective, very difficult to get into, and highly respected. One of the biggest differences between the Ivy League and the “Little Ivies” would be their athletic grouping. Ivy League schools are in the Division 1 league, which trains and competes year-round. The Little Ivy Colleges are in the Division 3 athletic group and only compete during their sports’ respective seasons.

For an outstanding student-athlete who wanted to compete in 2 sports, a NESCAC Division 3 university could satisfy both academic and athletic desires and be a great match!

Currently, here is a list of the top 20 colleges and another of the top 20 colleges listed in US News and World Report on college and university rankings. Please note that there are many lists that vary. US News ratings are used most often.

Liberal Arts College Rankings:

When universities have the same ranking, they share the same number in ( ).