What are “Little Ivy,” “The Three Little Ones,” and “Hidding Ivy?”

Most people are familiar with Ivy League colleges and have a good idea that attending one is very prestigious. There are many, many other colleges that are very academically rigorous and difficult to get into. The terms The Little Three, The Little Ivies, and The Hidden Ivies are sometimes confusing when followed. Not only do they have similar names, I was shocked to hear that some parents had never heard of some of the colleges, and didn’t realize how much their daughter had accomplished. Below is an explanation of the different groupings. I hope having a list in one place helps.

Ivy League It consists of 8 schools that all 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 viewed as some of the most prestigious and best-ranked universities. According to US News and World Report on college and university rankings, all of the Ivy League institutions rank in the top 15 with a ranking of 5 in the top five.

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

Enrollment ranges from 4,000 to 14,000 undergraduates, making it larger than most private liberal arts colleges but smaller than a public university. There are no athletic scholarships; Financial assistance based on need.

The three little ones It is the informal athletic conference of three elite liberal arts colleges: Amherst, Wesleyan, and Williams. These are three of the best liberal arts colleges in the country, and they are very hard to get into. The Little Three first began competing in this trio league in 1899 and in 1920 picked up the nickname “The Little Three”. This is in contrast to the “big three” universities (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, HYP), in the Ivy League.

NESCAC or New England Small Collegiate Athletic Conference It is an NCAA Division 3 athletic conference that includes 11 highly selective liberal arts colleges: Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, and Tufts. There are rules regarding season length, number of contests, and post-season competition. There are no athletic scholarships. Financial assistance is based solely on need.

“Little Ives” 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 NESCAC (above) except Connecticut College, along with Colgate, Haverford, Swarthmore, and Vassar. Note also that Tufts is no longer a small liberal arts college, but a larger research university.

As you can see, all of the above colleges are highly selective, hard to get into, and highly regarded. One of the biggest differences between the Ivy League and the “Little Ivies” will be their athletic kit. Ivy League schools are in the Division 1 league, which trains and competes all year long. Little Ivy colleges are in the Division 3 athletic group and compete only during their respective sports seasons.

For the elite student-athlete who wants to compete in two sports, NESCAC Division 3 College can satisfy both academic and athletic desires and be a great match!

Currently, here is a list of the top 20 colleges and top 20 universities in US News and World Report’s college and university rankings. Please keep in mind that there are many listings that vary. US news ratings are often used.

Liberal Arts College Rankings:

When colleges are ranked equally, they share the same number in ().

1. Williams College
2. Amherst College
3. Swarthmore College
4. Pomona College
5. Middlebury College
6. Bowdoin College
7. (6) Carleton College
8. (6) Wellesley College
9. Claremont McKenna College
10. Haverford College
11. Davidson College
12. Washington and Lee University
13. Wesleyan University
14. US Military Academy
15. US Naval Academy
16. Vassar College
17. Hamilton College
18. Harvey Mudd College
19. Grinnell College
20. Smith College

National University Rankings:

1. Harvard university
2. Princeton University
3. Yale University
4. Columbia University
5. California Institute of Technology
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
7. Stanford University
8. University of Chicago
9. University of Pennsylvania
10. Duke University
11. Dartmouth College
12. Northwestern University
13. Johns Hopkins University
14. Washington University in St. Louis
15. Brown University
16. Cornell University
17. Rice University
18. Vanderbilt University
19. University of Notre Dame
20. Emory University

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