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List of college towns

This is a list of college towns: towns and small cities (with a population of less than 350,000) that are socioeconomically dominated by a college or university (but not student quarters or suburbs of larger cities), sorted by continent.

Generally, to be classified as a college town, a town should exhibit one or more of the following:

  • The town's cultural identity, social life, and public events are strongly shaped by the institution.
  • The college or university is a major or primary employer, and its presence significantly influences the local economy.
  • College or university students form a significant proportion of the town's population, often taken to be 20 per cent or more.

Africa

South Africa

Ghana

Morocco

Asia

India

Indonesia

Kazakhstan

Malaysia

Philippines

Taiwan

Europe

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

France

Germany

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Abruzzo

Basilicata

Campania

Emilia-Romagna

Lazio

Lombardy

Marche

Piedmont

Puglia

Sicily

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

Tuscany

Umbria

Valle d'Aosta

Liechtenstein

Malta

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Serbia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Turkey

Ukraine

United Kingdom

An Office for National Statistics analysis of towns and cities in England and Wales in 2021 identified that a high share of 16 to 24 year olds in the population was linked to the presence of a university, across all sizes of town and city outside of London. One of the main findings was that: "While most small towns had a relatively low share of 16- to 24-year-olds, shares were higher in the small number of small towns with a university." The average proportion of 16 to 24 year olds across England and Wales was 10.69 per cent. The presence of a university has also been linked to a high proportion of the population working in education; the top quintile for this across all built-up areas in England and Wales is 14.1 per cent and above.

The UK settlements with the highest proportion (over 30 per cent) of full-time students are St Andrews in Scotland (53 per cent), Aberystwyth and Bangor in Wales (both 42 per cent), and Durham and Canterbury in England (both 35 per cent). With the exception of Canterbury, these towns are dominated by a single institution that was established as a university or university college before the end of the 19th century. Canterbury has three universities – one established in the 1960s and two that became universities in the 21st century.

The Telegraph listed the best eight university towns in Britain in 2025 as Aberystwyth, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Norwich and Oxford.

England

Towns and cities with a university and a high proportion of 16 to 24 year olds (over 75 per cent above the average across England and Wales) in 2019 are listed below, along with the 2021 population of their built up area (BUA), the 2020/21 enrolment in their universities, the proportion of people in the BUA employed in the education sector and the proportion of people in the BUA who identified in the census as full-time students (England average 7.7 per cent).

The BUA with the highest proportion of full-time students is Durham, with 35 per cent of the economically active population, closely followed by the multi-university city of Canterbury. The largest BUA to have over 20 per cent of its population composed of full-time students is Nottingham, at 24 per cent, with a population of almost 300,000, while the largest BUA containing only a single major institution is Exeter, with a population of over 125,000 and 21 per cent full-time students.

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Proportions of full-time students from the 2022 Census for Scotland by census settlement

Wales

Towns and cities with a university and a high proportion of 16 to 24 year olds in 2019:

North America

Canada

United States

Blake Gumprecht wrote the first major study of US college towns in 2008. For this work, he identified 305 cities where enrolment in 4-year colleges was more than 20% of the population and which met other criteria, including having an urban-area population of less than 350,000 and being physically separated from any larger city. He specifically mentioned Austin, Texas, which is dominated by the state government, and of Tempe, Arizona, which is part of a larger urban area, as examples of places that have some of the characteristics of college towns but that he does not include. The study covered 60 towns, including three cities located in urban areas that were noted as not meeting the criteria: Cambridge, Massachusetts, Berkeley, California and Claremont, California. The full list of college towns that met the criteria in 2000 was published online as supplemental material.

Gumprecht's college towns had a median population (in 2000) of 11,998, a median enrolment of 6,153, a median enrolment to population ratio of 48%, a median fraction of the population in the 18–24 age range of 31%, and a median fraction of employment in education of 21%. Most colleges in college towns were established in the 19th century, with a median establishment date of 1883. There are 12 (4% of the total) from post-1945, with the most recent being Saratoga Springs, where the first college in the town was founded or moved there in 1971.

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Puerto Rico

Oceania

Australia

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

New Zealand

South America

Argentina

Brazil

Colombia

Venezuela

Notes

References