Mid-Size Affordable Colleges For The Very Undecided Student

here’s “undecided”…then there is “VERY undecided.”

Does this sound familiar to you?:  "I might want to go into Law…but then again I might want to be a doctor…or a social worker…or a musician…or a philosopher…or an engineer…I am SO confused!”  I cannot tell you how often I heard this from students over my 42 year college admissions career.  Luckily I worked for a small college that offered programs in 11 of the 12 most popular college “major categories”…so it was the perfect place for the VERY undecided student.

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What are the most popular “major categories” for college students?

1.  Business (Marketing, Finance, Accounting, Entrepreneurship, International Business, etc.)

2.  Health Professions (Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Physician Assistant, Music or Art Therapy, etc.)

3.  Social Sciences (History, Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, etc.)

4.  Engineering (Pre-Engineering, 3+2 Engineering arrangement with a large university, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, etc.)

5.  Science (Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, etc.)

6.  Psychology (Biopsychology, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Industrial Psychology, etc.)

7.  Computer Science (Robotics, AI/UX, Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Sciences, etc.)

8.  Visual and Performing Arts (Studio Art, Music, Film, Theatre, Dance, etc.)

9.  Communications (Journalism, Radio/TV, Podcasting, Media, Advertising, Public Relations, etc.)

10.  Education (Pre-School Education, Elementary Education, Middle-School Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, etc.)

11.  Law Enforcement/Corrections (Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Corrections, Criminal Psychology, Law Enforcement, etc.)

12.  Recreation and Fitness (Kinesiology, Fitness, Parks & Recreation, Forestry, etc.)

NOTE: I did not list Pre-Law because, as any lawyer will tell you, a student can go to most any good college and major in anything and still be Pre-Law.  Small colleges do a great job with advising Pre-Law students.  

In my many years in the admissions profession, I figured out a couple secrets for directing students who were very undecided about majors and careers:

The first secret to help the VERY undecided student is to for them to find a college that has something (not always a major or a minor…sometimes just a “pathway”) in all or almost all of these twelve areas of study.  The second secret is for the student to seriously consider a small to mid-size college so the student will get  personal attention and guidance from the professors and staff on a daily basis.  It’s hard to remain undecided with so many people helping you figure things out!  The larger the college, the more difficult this task can be.

SO…I developed this list to give parents and students some ideas on where to look.  It is not an official endorsement or recommendation, and it is far from complete, but at least it is a start.  There are many other colleges that did not make this list that would be excellent choices.

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The below list of 66 colleges have the following profile:

All of them offer “something” in at least 11 of the 12 “major categories”, which gives the undecided student a lot to choose from without having to transfer to a different college.

The average undergraduate enrollment is 3,452 (range of 2,006 to 9,563).

All are private colleges.

The average admit rate is 78% (most have very flexible admission criteria).

Over 90% of these colleges are test optional.

$46,000 is the average sticker price for tuition, housing, food, and fees

$16,000 is the average merit award not based on family income

$27,000 is the average out of pocket cost, after merit, without having to take out loans.  Most pay no more than upper 20’s or mid 30’s.  Some pay more and many pay a lot less.

26 offer full tuition scholarships to high-achieving academic students (usually by competition).

22 offer performing arts scholarship (either music, theatre, art, or dance) without having to major in the arts.

14 offer both academic and performing arts scholarships.

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The List:

Harding University AR

Fresno Pacific University CA

University of LaVerne CA

Colorado Christian University CO

Florida Southern College FL

Nova Southeastern University FL

Berry College GA

Mercer University GA

Saint Ambrose University IA

Aurora University IL

Elmhurst College IL

Lewis University IL

North Central College IL

Indiana Wesleyan Univ-Marion IN

Marian University IN

Taylor University IN

Trine University IN

University of Evansville IN

Valparaiso University IN

Bellarmine University KY

Campbellsville University KY

University of the Cumberlands KY

Husson University ME

Calvin University MI

Madonna University MI

Concordia University--St. Paul MN

Univ of Northwestern-St Paul MN

Columbia College MO

Lindenwood University MO

Park University MO

Southwest Baptist University MO

Webster University MO

Mississippi College MS

Concordia University -Nebraska NE

Fairleigh Dickinson University NJ

Le Moyne College NY

Mercy College NY

Niagara University NY

Ashland University OH

Baldwin Wallace University OH

Capital University OH

Cedarville University OH

Franciscan U of Steubenville OH

John Carroll University OH

Ohio Northern University OH

Otterbein University OH

Oral Roberts University OK

Gannon University PA

Grove City College PA

York College of Pennsylvania PA

Johnson & Wales U Providence RI

Anderson University - SC SC

Bob Jones University SC

Charleston Southern University SC

Cumberland University TN

Lipscomb University TN

Trevecca Nazarene University TN

Dallas Baptist University TX

Houston Christian University TX

St. Mary's University TX

Univ of the Incarnate Word TX

Wayland Baptist University TX

Norwich Military University VT

Carroll University WI

Carthage College WI

Concordia University-Wisconsin WI

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