It’s no secret that college can be a tough time to make friends, especially if you’re shy or introverted. The sheer number of people on campus and the frenetic atmosphere of those first few weeks can be overwhelming. And with the rigors of a college courseload, it can be hard to find the time or energy to socialize.
But don’t worry, there are many colleges out there where even the most socially challenged person can make friends easily. Here are some of the easiest colleges to make friends.
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Large Universities Where It’s Easy to Make Friends
Texas A&M University
- Location: College Station, TX
- U.S. News ranking: #67 in National Universities
- Acceptance rate: 64%
- Greek participation rate: 11%
Texas A&M is one of those schools that gets into your blood. The culture is unique, and for the students who buy in, the school becomes part of their identity.
To be sure, the school isn’t for everyone. Some students find the abundance of school spirit almost cult-like and end up transferring. But those who love it, love it.
Because the campus is so close-knit and the school spirit so palpable, making friends at Texas A&M is easy for those who put themselves out there. You don’t even need to join a Greek organization (the participation rate is barely 10%) or school-sponsored club.
Just show up to the football tailgates or the “Midnight Yell” (A&M’s version of a pep rally that takes place at midnight before each football game) and you’ll be welcomed by hundreds of potential new friends.
University of Iowa
- Location: Iowa City, IA
- U.S. News ranking: #83 in National Universities
- Acceptance rate: 86%
- Greek participation rate: 15%
The University of Iowa is one of the warmest, friendliest campuses in the United States. It’s the definition of Midwest-friendly.
In addition to its warm, friendly campus, Iowa has a few things going for it that make it an especially easy school at which to make friends.
One, for a Midwestern state school, it has a high percentage of out-of-state students. That means not everyone around you will have come to campus with an already-intact friend group.
Two, the campus has a relatively low Greek participation rate. This is a good thing for introverted students who don’t want to feel like they have to join a frat or sorority to have a social life.
Finally, the campus has many living-learning communities (LLCs) and close-knit dorms. If you pick one related to your major or a favorite hobby, you can live on a hall full of people who share your interests.
University of Kansas
- Location: Lawrence, KS
- U.S. News ranking: #121 in National Universities
- Acceptance rate: 92%
- Greek participation rate: 21%
The University of Kansas is another Midwestern school known for its friendliness. Unlike Iowa, its student body is made up of mostly in-staters, and the school has a relatively high Greek participation rate.
That said, KU has one major thing going for it that makes it easy for introverted students to make friends. Rather than signing up to live in a traditional dorm your freshman year, you can elect to live in something called a Scholarship Hall (or “Schol Hall” as they’re called on campus).
The Schol Halls are smaller living units, usually with around 30-60 residents each. The residents in these houses tend to become very close. They have regular events and activities, and even formals.
It’s kind of like Greek-lite. But unlike a frat or sorority, you don’t have to rush and get a bid to live in a Schol Hall. Instead, you apply when you sign up for housing.
Another benefit of living in a Schol Hall is that it’s much cheaper than a regular dorm. The downside is that every resident gets a “chore” (such as making dinner for the house two nights a week) that they’re responsible for in exchange for reduced housing costs.
Virginia Tech University
- Location: Blacksburg, VA
- U.S. News ranking: #62 in National Universities
- Acceptance rate: 56%
- Greek participation rate: 19%
Virginia Tech is another school like Texas A&M that stays with its students long after they graduate. Va Tech alums tend to have a deep and abiding affinity for their alma mater.
Even though most of the students come from the state of Virginia, that number is slowly declining as Va Tech’s reputation is rising and the school continues to shoot up the U.S. News rankings.
And unlike some colleges and universities with heavily in-state student bodies, Virginia Tech doesn’t feel the least bit insular or like an extension of high school.
At 19 percent, the Greek participation rate feels just right. Frats and sororities have enough of a presence that they’re there if you want to participate, but if that’s not your thing, you can easily ignore them and have a perfectly active social life without joining.
Clemson University
- Location: Clemson, SC
- U.S. News ranking: #77 in National Universities
- Acceptance rate: 49%
- Greek participation rate: 20%
Clemson is another large university that seems to foster a tight-knit community year in and year out. It doesn’t hurt that the school’s football team has been among the nation’s best for most of the last decade.
At Clemson, you get a little bit of everything. It’s in a small town, but it isn’t completely isolated (the growing, thriving city of Greenville, SC, is close by) and it has a picturesque and active downtown where students congregate on the weekends.
Greek life is present but not overwhelming. About one in 5 students participate.
And while in-state students make up a decent chunk of the student body, Clemson has gotten popular with students all over the South and Mid-Atlantic region in recent years, and it’s quickly expanding its national profile. If you’re coming from outside of South Carolina, you won’t be alone, and you won’t be fighting to break into established friend groups.
Small Colleges Where It’s Easy to Make Friends
Knox College
- Location: Galesburg, IL
- U.S. News ranking: #72 in National Liberal Arts Colleges
- Acceptance rate: 71%
- Greek participation rate: 6%
Knox College is a small liberal arts college in Illinois known for its friendliness and warm, welcoming atmosphere. It tends to attract quirky, intellectual students, including many introverts. It’s not the type of school where the student body organizes itself into a hierarchy of popularity.
Knox gets students started off on the right foot with an event called Pumphandle. Basically, the entire student body meets in the quad and everyone shakes everyone else’s hand. There is no quicker or easier way to meet people!
The school has Greek life, but at 6% of the student body, the participation rate is small. It’s much more of a niche for a small segment of the student body than it is an overwhelming social force on campus.
The College of Wooster
- Location: Wooster, OH
- U.S. News ranking: #76 in National Liberal Arts Colleges
- Acceptance rate: 61%
- Greek participation rate: 15%
Like Knox, The College of Wooster in Northern Ohio (about 45 minutes to an hour outside Cleveland) is known for its quirky, intellectual, and friendly vibe.
The academics at Wooster are rigorous, but there’s more of a spirit of collaboration than competition. And while Greek life comprises 15% of the student body, it’s extremely laid back — nothing like what you’d find at a Big 10 or SEC school.
Sewanee: The University of the South
- Location: Sewanee, TN
- U.S. News ranking: #51 in National Liberal Arts Colleges
- Acceptance rate: 60%
- Greek participation rate: 63%
I might be biased here since Sewanee is my alma mater, but I think it would be difficult to find a school where it’s easier to make friends.
I literally knew no one, not a single person, when I showed up on campus, and by the end of orientation, my free time was packed with social activities. I definitely recommend signing up for PRE, a summer camp-like weekend before the official freshman orientation where you do cheesy stuff like ropes courses and trust falls but are basically forced to spend time around other people and get to know them. It’s an easy way to get a head start on making friends.
Thinking back to my time at Sewanee, I can’t remember a single person who put forth a legitimate effort at making friends and didn’t succeed. The 63% Greek participation rate might scare people who don’t fit the typical frat or sorority mold, but trust me — there’s a Greek organization for literally everyone, including (and perhaps especially) those who’d never dream of pledging at an SEC school.
Whitman College
- Location: Walla Walla, WA
- U.S. News ranking: #48 in National Liberal Arts Colleges
- Acceptance rate: 59%
- Greek participation rate: 12%
Like the three small colleges already described, Whitman College is located in a small town and has a friendly and inviting campus. You can feel the warmth from the minute you show up and start talking to people.
The campus is integrated with the town of Walla Walla; everything is walkable or bikeable. And because the weather is surprisingly mild for that region of the country — unlike in Seattle, it doesn’t rain constantly in Walla Walla — students spend a lot of time outside, playing disc golf and ultimate frisbee, hiking, biking, and studying in hammocks.
Whitman has a small but established Greek scene. It’s an easy way to have ready-made friends if you’re into that lifestyle, but if not, you’ll have no problem meeting people and making friends in your classes, your dorm, the dining hall, and just walking around campus.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
- Location: St. Mary’s City, MD
- U.S. News ranking: #89 in National Liberal Arts Colleges
- Acceptance rate: 77%
- Greek participation rate: 0%
Rounding out our list is St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a small, public liberal arts college in St. Mary’s City, right on the Western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
If you love water and the outdoors, SMCM will be like a dream to you. Students can access sailboats and kayaks for free, and many participate in activities such as windsurfing and canoeing.
There are no frats or sororities on campus, and the vibe is extremely warm and welcoming. One student described the social scene at SMCM like this: “If you were that quirky kid in high school who never really felt like you fit in, please, be that person when you come here!”
