Fairfield University

Fairfield University is a private institution that was founded in 1942. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,873, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 200 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Fairfield University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities (North), 3. Its tuition and fees are $43,770 (2014-15).

Fairfield University is a Jesuit school located on the shoreline of Connecticut, about 60 miles from New York City. At Fairfield, students can choose from more than 40 undergraduate majors and dozens of advanced degrees, including those in the Dolan School of Business or the nursing school. Fairfield encourages students to explore the arts by bringing numerous performers to campus each year. In Fairfield's various venues and theaters, students can see dance troupes, musical acts, magic shows, acrobatics, live radio dramas and traveling art exhibits.

Students can also explore about 80 campus organizations or jump on a train for an hour to New York. Fairfield also has many club and intramural sports and 20 Stags varsity teams, which mainly compete in the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Notable alumni include Carmen Wong Ulrich, former host of the CNBC show "On the Money," and actor Paul Marcarelli, famed for asking, “Can you hear me now?” in numerous Verizon Wireless commercials.

College of New Jersey

College of New Jersey is a public institution that was founded in 1855. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,653, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 289 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. College of New Jersey's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities (North), 3. Its in-state tuition and fees are $15,024 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $25,637 (2014-15).

The College of New Jersey, also called TCNJ, is located near Trenton. TCNJ is selective with admissions and offers more than 50 undergraduate programs in seven schools. Graduate students can choose from several different degrees, including those in thehealth field. On campus, TCNJ students can see shows at two theaters, hear a performance at the music hall, observe art at the gallery or get on the air at the school's television and radio stations.

Students can also get involved with TCNJ's more than 150 student organizations or participate in events such as Community Fest, where they gather to teach and entertain local children. There are also several opportunities for student athletes at the intramural, club and varsity levels. The blue and gold TCNJ Lions intercollegiate sports teams compete in the NCAA Division III New Jersey Athletic Conference. Notable TCNJ alumni include Holly Black, author of the New York Times bestselling children’s books, "The Spiderwick Chronicles."

Providence College

Providence College is a private institution that was founded in 1917. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,810, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 105 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Providence College's ranking in the 2014 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities (North), 2. Its tuition and fees are $42,206 (2013-14).

Providence College, located in Providence, Rhode Island, is the only college in the nation operated by Dominican Friars. The Slavin Center, the school's student union, houses a concert/lecture hall, student organization offices, a food court and McPhail's, a snack bar and hangout spot equipped with dance floor, pool tables and a projector-screen TV. There are more than 100 clubs and organizations on campus, and students can also create a team to compete in Battle of the Brains, an annual question and answer game-show-style tournament. Freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus in one of the residence halls, most of which are single sex. The Providence College Friars compete primarily in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I.

Providence College encompasses four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Professional Studies and School of Continuing Education. With nearly 50 majors offered, students have a wide range of options when choosing what course of study to pursue. All undergraduates must complete the core curriculum, which is centered on the two-year-long Development of Western Civilization program. Graduate offerings include master's degree programs in business administration, theological studies, education and more. Providence College shares its motto withHarvard: Veritas, which means "truth" in Latin.

Villanova University

Villanova University is a private institution that was founded in 1842. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,042, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 260 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Villanova University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities (North), 1. Its tuition and fees are $45,966 (2014-15).

Villanova University, named for the Spanish Augustinian St. Thomas of Villanova, is still affiliated with the Augustinian Order. Located just 12 miles from Philadelphia in the suburb of Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, Villanova – often shortened to 'Nova – offers popular student organizations like the Blue Key Society, which gives admissions tours and hosts prospective student days, and Rays of Sunshine, the student community service office. A thriving Greek community at Villanova encompasses about two dozen fraternities and sororities. Athletics are also important, and the Villanova Wildcats – known for their successful men's basketball program – mainly compete in the NCAA Division I Big East Conference. Incoming freshmen are guaranteed housing for their first three years in any of the 18 residence halls or eight apartment-style buildings.

Four of Villanova's five schools serve undergraduate and graduate students, and graduate programs include those in the Villanova School of Business and School of Law. Undergraduates can enter the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Villanova School of Business, College of Engineering or College of Nursing. Perhaps due to their use as military hospitals during the Civil War and World War I, university myth has it that two on-campus buildings, Alumni Hall and Picotte Hall at Dundale, are haunted. Villanova is also home to the famous Liberty Bell's twin, known as the "Sister Bell."