Little Ivies

The Little Ivies (singularly Little Ivy) are a group of private liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States. The term has been used in reference to the Little Three athletic league, alluding to the Big Three of the Ivy League: Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. The Little Three include Amherst College, Wesleyan University and Williams College. Along with Bowdoin College, they signed an agreement in 1955 that led to the establishment of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in 1971 when these schools were joined by Bates College, Colby College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Tufts University, Trinity College and Union College. Union withdrew in 1977 and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982. The term Little Ivy is generally associated with the colleges of the NESCAC and select schools from the Liberty League, Patriot League and the Centennial Conference because of their small student bodies, traits of academic excellence, associated historical social prestige, and highly competitive admission selectivity comparable to the Ivy League. According to Bloomberg, the Little Ivies are also known for their large and comparably wealthy financial endowments. As is the Ivy League, the Little Ivies are colleges and universities located in the Northeastern United States.