1. Christopher Newport University
Christopher Newport University is a rare public liberal arts institution. Popular STEM majors at CNU include Biochemistry, Applied Physics, and Computer Science. STEM students can benefit from the low 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
- Tuition per year: $14,924 in-state; $27,790 non-resident
- Graduation rate: 74%
2. Alaska Pacific University
Alaska Pacific University is one of the best STEM schools in the state. Some of the more unique STEM majors at APU include Marine and Environmental Science and Sustainability Studies. APU is a very small school of only 500 students or so, which is something that prospective students should keep in mind.
- Tuition per year: $20,760
- Graduation rate: 20%
3. Miles College
Miles College is a small, historically black liberal arts college in Alabama. The most popular STEM majors at Miles include Biology, Chemistry, and Computer and Information Sciences. No matter what major students choose, they will have to take basic STEM courses.
- Tuition per year: $22,894
- Graduation rate: 16%
4. Carlow College
Carlow College is another small liberal arts college with a leading STEM program. Some of these programs are rarely found at other universities, including their Behavioral Neuroscience and Data Analytics programs. Roughly 2,000 students attend Carlow at its Pittsburgh, PA campus.
- Tuition per year: $30,528
- Graduation rate: 53%
5. Andrews University
Andrews University is a Christian university with a strong STEM program. Popular STEM programs at Andrews include Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Chemistry. Andrews also offers a top nursing program.
- Tuition per year: $30,158
- Graduation rate: 51%
6. McMurrry University
McMurry University beats out some stiff competition to be the leading STEM school from Texas. McMurry is a Christian university, but students of all faiths can attend. Popular STEM programs include Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, and Information Technology.
- Tuition per year: $28,099
- Graduation rate: 36%
7. Niagara University
Niagara University is a small Catholic institution in New York. It is known for its focus on ethics. The leading STEM programs at Niagara include Biology, Biotechnology, and Chemistry.
- Tuition per year: $34,510
- Graduation rate: 65%
8. Westminster College
Westminster College is a small private college in Pennsylvania with a top-notch STEM program. Westminster offers STEM students excellent facilities, including a 100-acre outdoor lab. The most well-known STEM majors at Westminster College include Biology, Environmental Science, and Molecular Biology.
- Tuition per year: $34,984
- Graduation rate: 65%
9. George Fox University
George Fox University has the leading STEM program in Oregon. Three of the school’s most popular majors (Biology, Engineering, and Nursing) are STEM-related. George Fox is also one of a relatively small number of schools to offer a Physical Therapy degree.
- Tuition per year: $37,280
- Graduation rate: 64%
10. Franklin College
Franklin College is one of the best small colleges for STEM in the country. Despite the school’s tiny size, it has leading STEM programs in popular areas like Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry. STEM students will get plenty of personalized attention, as the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of only 11:1.
- Tuition per year: $32,970
- Graduation rate: 33%
11. Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a prestigious women-only liberal arts college in Georgia. It offers top-notch STEM programs in Engineering, Neuroscience, and Nursing. The school only has a thousand or so students, so they will get plenty of direct attention from their professors.
- Tuition per year: $42,690
- Graduation rate: 70%
12. Adrian College
Adrian College is a private liberal arts college in Michigan. Its most popular STEM programs include Mathematics, Physics, and Biochemistry. Adrian also offers many STEM minors.
- Tuition per year: $37,809
- Graduation rate: 52%
13. Davidson University
Davidson University in North Carolina offers one of the state’s leading STEM programs. Many degrees are offered in STEM fields, including Genomics, Neuroscience, and Computer Science. Davidson even offers a rare pre-veterinary medicine program.
- Tuition per year: $53,166
- Graduation rate: 93%
14. Westmont College
Westmont College is one of the best small schools in California for STEM programs. It is a Christian school, but students of all faiths can attend. Popular STEM programs at Westmont include Chemistry, Biology, and Computer Science.
- Tuition per year: $46,594
- Graduation rate: 77%
15. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is generally considered to be one of the leading small schools in the country. It is best known for its leading liberal arts programs, but it also offers world-class STEM programs. The leading STEM programs at Swarthmore include Computer Science, Engineering, and Physics.
- Tuition per year: $54,656
- Graduation rate: 95%
If you’re looking for the best STEM schools, you can find them on our website.
16. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is one of the most prestigious STEM-focused schools in the country. Its leading STEM programs including Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Physics. WPI offers a low 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
- Tuition per year: $52,320
- Graduation rate: 86%
17. Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College is a prestigious liberal arts college with a top-notch STEM program. It offers the most common STEM majors, including Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, and more. Bowdoin has a very low student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1.
- Tuition per year: $56,350
- Graduation rate: 94%
18. Williams College
Williams College is one of the better-known schools on our list, and it has an excellent STEM program. Students choose concentrations rather than majors. Some of the popular STEM concentrations at Williams include Cognitive Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
- Tuition per year: $56,970
- Graduation rate: 94%
19. Earlham College
Earlham College may be one of the lesser-known schools on this list, but it still has an elite lineup of STEM programs. Its best-known programs include Geology, Neuroscience, and Astronomy. Earlham is known for offering many research opportunities to undergraduates.
- Tuition per year: $47,380
- Graduation rate: 70%
20. Carleton College
Carleton College has one of the leading STEM programs in Minnesota. It offers many STEM programs, including Pre-Medicine, Biology, and Chemistry. Students can benefit from a low student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1.
- Tuition per year: $57,111
- Graduation rate: 92%
21. Albion College
Albion College may not be as well-known for its STEM programs as in-state rival Michigan State, but it still has a world-class program. The college offers unique majors in Earth Science, Geological Sciences, and Biochemistry. Students have plenty of opportunities to conduct their own reseach.
- Tuition per year: $48,275
- Graduation rate: 71%
22. Amherst College
Amherst College is a highly-ranked liberal arts college in Massachutsetts. STEM programs include Neuroscience, Physics, and Astronomy. It has one of the lowest student to faculty ratios of any school at 7:1.
- Tuition per year: $58,640
- Graduation rate: 93%
23. Colorado College
Colorado College is one of the top small colleges for STEM in the state. It offers specialized STEM programs like Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Neuroscience. Colorado even offers an accelerated program in Engineering that allows them to earn both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years.
- Tuition per year: $58,660
- Graduation rate: 93%
24. Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College is the rare liberal arts college that is focused solely on STEM programs. It offers degree programs in all of the major areas, including Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Students must also take many liberal arts classes to ensure that they receive a well-rounded education.
- Tuition per year: $58,560
- Graduation rate: 93%
25. Stevens Technical Institute
Stevens Technical Institute is one of the most prestigious STEM-focused institutions in the region. The unique degree programs available at Stevens include Pure and Applied Mathematics, Chemical Biology, and Electrical Engineering. The student-to-faculty ratio at Stevens is a low 11:1.
- Tuition per year: $54,014
- Graduation rate: 83%
26. Colby College
Colby College is one of the top colleges in Maine for STEM programs. Its STEM programs include Science and Technology, Mathematical Science, and Astronomy. Students in all majors are required to complete capstone projects.
- Tuition per year: $57,280
- Graduation rate: 89%
27. Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a small private college in Ohio with a national reputation for STEM excellence. The STEM programs at Kenyon include Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. A unique degree in Mathematics and Statistics is also on offer.
- Tuition per year: $58,570
- Graduation rate: 90%
28. Union College
Union College has a unique and innovative STEM program. Its majors in this area include Astrophysics, Biomedical Engineering, and Computer Engineering. Students can also minor in many STEM areas.
- Tuition per year: $57,342
- Graduation rate: 87%
29. Bucknell University
Bucknell University offers more STEM programs at the graduate level than most of the colleges on this list. At the undergraduate level, students can major in Biophysics, Applied Mathematical Science, and Environmentl Geoscience. Bucknell has a very low student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1.
- Tuition per year: $58,196
- Graduation rate: 88%
30. Connecticut College
Connecticut College is one of the top schools for STEM in the state. It offers high-quality programs in Botany, Applied Statistics, Computer Science, and more. Undergraduates can benefit from many different research opportunities.
- Tuition per year: $56,980
- Graduation rate: 93%
Our Ranking Methodology
We used a simple formula to come up with a rating for each school on this list. These schools were then ranked from lowest rating to highest rating, as low ratings are positive in our system. Our formula uses two important statistics, specifically each school’s yearly tuition rate and graduation rate. Christopher Newport University is a public institution that charges a higher tuition rate to students who aren’t from Virginia. We only looked at this school’s in-state tuition rate. Our formula takes the yearly tuition rate and adds a multiplier that is equivalent to the percentage of students who matriculated but did not finish their STEM degrees. Here’s an example: ABC College has a yearly tuition rate of $50,000 and a graduation rate of 80%. Its rating would be 60,000 (50,000 x 120%).
Representatives of the colleges and universities on this list can contact us to ask a question or make a correction.
Students who are looking for the best STEM schools can find the best program for their criteria on our website.
