by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top Connecticut Colleges ranking.
We analyzed 18 colleges and universities across Connecticut to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on over 20 objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as student-to-faculty ratio, average graduate earnings, and graduation rate.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Yale University tops this year’s ranking as the best school in Connecticut for overall quality.
The student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $100,533 during the early years of their career..
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Fairfield University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Connecticut.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Fairfield U make an average of $88,794 a year.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Connecticut helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Connecticut.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UCONN go into careers with an average salary of $73,997 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 18 schools in Connecticut that were part of this year’s ranking, Trinity College landed the #4 spot on the list.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Trinity Bantams make an average of $90,779 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Quinnipiac University. It ranked #5 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Quinnipiac make an average of $83,759 a year.
With a ranking of #6, Connecticut College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut list.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 78%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Conn College is $75,001 during the early years of their career.
Capital Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges in Connecticut list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Capital Community College make an average of $41,344 a year.
University of New Haven did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut ranking, coming in at #8.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from University of New Haven go into careers with an average salary of $60,126 during the early years of their career.
Sacred Heart University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Connecticut ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Sacred Heart make an average of $75,059 per year during the early years of their career.
Charter Oak State College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges in Connecticut list.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Charter Oak State College make an average of $64,209 a year.
Southern Connecticut State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Connecticut ranking.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from SCSU go into careers with an average salary of $55,043 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #12, University of Hartford did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut list.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UHart go into careers with an average salary of $60,823 during the early years of their career.
University of Saint Joseph did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut ranking, coming in at #13.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from USJ is $59,908 during the early years of their career.
Central Connecticut State University landed the #14 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from CCSU make an average of $58,562 a year.
Eastern Connecticut State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Connecticut ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from ECSU make an average of $56,469 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #16, Post University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Post University make an average of $38,696 a year.
Western Connecticut State University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut ranking, coming in at #17.
During the early years of their career, graduates from WestConn make an average of $59,115 a year.
With a ranking of #18, University of Bridgeport did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Connecticut list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UBridgeport make an average of $50,323 per year during the early years of their career.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.