Connecticut ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Largest Universities in Connecticut

Every Connecticut college and university that reports an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

36,315
Largest in Connecticut
50
Institutions reporting
1,008
Median Connecticut institution
#32
of 51 states by enrolment

Connecticut State Community College is the largest institution in Connecticut with 36,315 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, Connecticut State Community College leads Connecticut at 36,315 students, and the five largest hold 53.4% of state enrollment. This list covers all 50 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in Connecticut
36,315
Institutions reporting
50
State students in top 5
53.4%
Median Connecticut institution
1,008

Connecticut in one line

Connecticut State Community College is the largest institution in Connecticut with 36,315 students, about 36x the 1,008 of the median institution in the state. 53.4% of every student in the state is enrolled at just these five institutions, so Connecticut's higher education is concentrated at the top.

36,315
students at Connecticut State Community College
53.4%
of state students, in the top 5
201,202
students enrolled across Connecticut
5
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

Among the 19 mid-to-large campuses on this Connecticut size list, 8 report below the 1.58 national median incident rate per 1,000, 0 also rank in the national safest-50, and the list averages 2.49 against that 1.58 median (Connecticut State Community College itself reports 0.14).

19
mid-to-large campuses on this list
8
below 1.58 national median /1k
0
also in national safest-50
0.14
Connecticut State Community College rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

What this ranking shows about Connecticut

Connecticut ranks 32nd by total enrolment among the states and DC, so even its largest institutions are modest against national leaders. Only 11 of the 50 institutions reporting enrolment here are public; Connecticut educates an unusually large share of its students in private institutions.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

Every reporting institution in Connecticut is listed below. Here is how their enrollments spread:

Connecticut enrollment distribution

Clery-reported enrollment · 50 Connecticut institutions · 2024

5 Top 100% higher than 0% of 50 Connecticut institutions

Show national distribution 0–4,000: 36 Connecticut institutions (72%). This entry sits in this band. 4,000–8,000: 5 Connecticut institutions (10%). Above this entry. 8,000–12,000: 5 Connecticut institutions (10%). Above this entry. 12,000–16,000: 1 Connecticut institutions (2%). Above this entry. 16,000–20,000: 1 Connecticut institutions (2%). Above this entry. 20,000–24,000: 0 Connecticut institutions (0%). Above this entry. 24,000–28,000: 0 Connecticut institutions (0%). Above this entry. 28,000–32,000: 1 Connecticut institutions (2%). Above this entry. 32,000–36,000: 0 Connecticut institutions (0%). Above this entry. 36,000–40,000: 1 Connecticut institutions (2%). Above this entry. Smallest on list 0 40,000 every Connecticut institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more Connecticut institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

All 50 ranked institutions in Connecticut

3
Post University Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit
Enrollment
16,178
Incidents /1k
0.37
4
Yale University New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
15,564
Incidents /1k
11.44
14
Wesleyan University Middletown, CT · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
4,011
Incidents /1k
3.24
16
Goodwin University East Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
2,970
Incidents /1k
0.00
18
Trinity College Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
2,238
Incidents /1k
10.28
20
Connecticut College New London, CT · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
1,990
Incidents /1k
10.05
31
Mitchell College New London, CT · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
442
Incidents /1k
6.79
38
Cortiva Institute Cromwell, CT · Private for-profit
Enrollment
209
Incidents /1k
0.00
48
Dolce The Academy Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit
Enrollment
44
Incidents /1k
0.00
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 Connecticut State Community College Hartford, CT · Public 36,315 100% of the leader · rank #1 0.14
2 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT · Public 28,306 78% of the leader · rank #2 2.01
3 Post University Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit 16,178 45% of the leader · rank #3 0.37
4 Yale University New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit 15,564 43% of the leader · rank #4 11.44
5 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT · Private nonprofit 11,022 30% of the leader · rank #5 2.00
6 Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT · Public 9,997 28% of the leader · rank #6 2.70
7 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT · Private nonprofit 9,424 26% of the leader · rank #7 0.21
8 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT · Public 9,377 26% of the leader · rank #8 0.85
9 University of New Haven West Haven, CT · Private nonprofit 9,229 25% of the leader · rank #9 1.73
10 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT · Private nonprofit 6,864 19% of the leader · rank #10 1.46
11 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit 6,015 17% of the leader · rank #11 3.16
12 Eastern Connecticut State University Willimantic, CT · Public 4,355 12% of the leader · rank #12 2.07
13 Western Connecticut State University Danbury, CT · Public 4,169 11% of the leader · rank #13 2.16
14 Wesleyan University Middletown, CT · Private nonprofit 4,011 11% of the leader · rank #14 3.24
15 University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT · Private nonprofit 3,838 11% of the leader · rank #15 2.61
16 Goodwin University East Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit 2,970 8% of the leader · rank #16 0.00
17 University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT · Public 2,482 7% of the leader · rank #17 0.81
18 Trinity College Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit 2,238 6% of the leader · rank #18 10.28
19 Charter Oak State College New Britain, CT · Public 2,012 6% of the leader · rank #19 0.00
20 Connecticut College New London, CT · Private nonprofit 1,990 5% of the leader · rank #20 10.05
21 University of Saint Joseph West Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit 1,952 5% of the leader · rank #21 3.07
22 University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT · Public 1,544 4% of the leader · rank #22 0.00
23 Porter & Chester Institute Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit 1,373 4% of the leader · rank #23 0.00
24 Albertus Magnus College New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit 1,239 4% of the leader · rank #24 4.04
25 Lincoln Technical Institute-East Windsor East Windsor, CT · Private for-profit 1,008 4% of the leader · rank #25 0.00
26 Lincoln Technical Institute-New Britain New Britain, CT · Private for-profit 928 4% of the leader · rank #26 0.00
27 Lincoln Technical Institute-Shelton Shelton, CT · Private for-profit 875 4% of the leader · rank #27 0.00
28 University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT · Public 745 4% of the leader · rank #28 2.68
29 Holy Apostles College and Seminary Cromwell, CT · Private nonprofit 719 4% of the leader · rank #29 0.00
30 University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT · Public 477 4% of the leader · rank #30 0.00
31 Mitchell College New London, CT · Private nonprofit 442 4% of the leader · rank #31 6.79
32 New England Tractor Trailer Training School of CT-Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit 428 4% of the leader · rank #32 0.00
33 Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology Wallingford, CT · Private for-profit 402 4% of the leader · rank #33 0.00
34 American Institute-West Hartford West Hartford, CT · Private for-profit 402 4% of the leader · rank #34 0.00
35 Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden Hamden, CT · Private for-profit 402 4% of the leader · rank #35 0.00
36 Arizona College of Nursing - Hartford East Hartford, CT · - 334 4% of the leader · rank #36 0.00
37 New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Connecticut Somers, CT · Private for-profit 289 4% of the leader · rank #37 0.00
38 Cortiva Institute Cromwell, CT · Private for-profit 209 4% of the leader · rank #38 0.00
39 International Institute of Cosmetology Wethersfield, CT · Private for-profit 197 4% of the leader · rank #39 0.00
40 Paul Mitchell the School-North Haven North Haven, CT · Private for-profit 178 4% of the leader · rank #40 0.00
41 Oxford Academy of Hair Design Inc Seymour, CT · Private for-profit 143 4% of the leader · rank #41 0.00
42 Industrial Management Training Institute Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit 114 4% of the leader · rank #42 0.00
43 Hartford International University for Religion and Peace Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit 109 4% of the leader · rank #43 0.00
44 American Institute of Healthcare & Technology Stratford, CT · Private for-profit 100 4% of the leader · rank #44 0.00
45 TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown Newtown, CT · Private for-profit 53 4% of the leader · rank #45 0.00
46 TIGI Hairdressing Academy Guilford Guilford, CT · Private for-profit 52 4% of the leader · rank #46 0.00
47 Branford Academy of Hair & Cosmetology Branford, CT · Private for-profit 51 4% of the leader · rank #47 0.00
48 Dolce The Academy Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit 44 4% of the leader · rank #48 0.00
49 Branford Academy of Hair & Cosmetology-Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit 32 4% of the leader · rank #49 0.00
50 Belle Academy of Cosmetology LLC Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit 5 4% of the leader · rank #50 0.00

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for Connecticut, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-10-26.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.