Principia College

Private · IL

Photo: stannate (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIL · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads339

Student:faculty6:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate54.5%

6-yr grad rate74.3%

Drop-out rate16.9%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$35k

Out-of-state tuition$35k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity64.6%

Gender diversity41.3%

International41%

Identity—

Overview

Principia College is the only college in the world operated for and by Christian Scientists, set on limestone bluffs above the Mississippi River in Elsah, Illinois. The campus is built almost entirely in a distinctive English Arts and Crafts style designed by architect Bernard Maybeck and his successors, giving it a visual unity rare among American colleges. Students and faculty are expected to be Christian Scientists, and the practice of that faith shapes daily campus life as much as academics do.

Academics

The college offers a standard liberal arts curriculum with small classes, but its most distinctive academic feature is an unusually high rate of study-abroad participation; a large majority of students spend at least one term overseas, often through Principia's own long-running exchange programs. Environmental and outdoor-oriented coursework benefits from the campus's own working farm and extensive bluff-top land above the river.

Campus & student life

The Elsah campus is rural and close-knit, with the entire community sharing Christian Science practice as a condition of enrollment. Dorms, the dining hall, and the rest of the physical plant reflect the same Maybeck-era design vocabulary, and campus culture leans toward reflection and service rather than a conventional party or Greek scene, since alcohol and tobacco are prohibited under the school's faith commitment.

Getting in

Applicants are expected to be members of the Church of Christ, Scientist, or otherwise committed to Christian Science practice, which functions as a threshold requirement layered on top of a fairly standard liberal-arts admissions read. Essays and interviews probe fit with the faith community as much as academic preparation.

Worth knowing

Because both faculty and students are drawn from the Christian Science community, prospective students and families should understand well before applying that the campus's approach to health and medical care follows Christian Science practice rather than conventional treatment.

principiacollege.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate—

Enrolled mid-50%1240

Test policynot reported

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying