College Raptor Reveals Eleventh Annual Hidden Gem Colleges for 2026

By: Citizens Financial Group, Inc. via Business Wire

October 08, 2025 at 09:00 AM EDT

Now Live in the Citizens Student Hub, a New Digital Resource for Students and Families

With college costs rising and families more focused than ever on real value, students are rethinking what makes a school the “right fit.” Today, College Raptor, Citizens’ college planning platform, released its 11th annual Hidden Gems rankings, spotlighting outstanding, but often overlooked, colleges across the U.S. Unlike traditional rankings that prioritize prestige and exclusivity, Hidden Gems highlights lesser-known schools that are smaller in size, maintain a more accessible acceptance rate, and consistently deliver strong academic outcomes. Featured this year is a Hidden Gems list for Middle Class Affordability, featuring colleges that provide meaningful financial value to middle-income families while ensuring the quality education and support necessary for student success.

New Citizens Student Hub: Comprehensive College Planning and Financial Resource

For the first time, the Hidden Gems rankings are available within the Citizens Student Hub, a new digital resource that brings together personalized college planning tools, robust financial education, and Citizens’ banking solutions in one seamless experience. Designed to support students from high school through post-college, the hub integrates College Raptor’s research and College Match Tools with Citizens’ deposit, credit, and lending products, helping students and their families make confident, informed decisions at every stage.

“We’re at a turning point in how students and families approach college decisions,” said William Staib, Co-Founder and President of College Raptor. “It’s no longer just about getting in; it's about finding great schools that families can afford and where students will thrive. The Hidden Gems lists and the Citizens Student Hub were built with that purpose: to give students and families insights and personalized support to navigate this journey with clarity and confidence.”

2026 Hidden Gems Highlights

The Hidden Gems rankings spotlight schools that combine excellence with attainability, typically those with fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students, fewer than 5,000 applications annually, and five or more unique majors. The 2026 lists include:

One standout college from each U.S. state and the District of Columbia
Regional Gems: New England, Mid-East, Southeast, Plains, Great Lakes, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, and Far West
Athletic Gems: Leading Division III institutions
Programmatic Gems: Middle Class Affordability

“Our new Citizens Student Hub provides unparalleled support and resources to guide students through every step of their financial journey,” said Chris Ebeling, Executive Vice President, Head of Student Lending at Citizens. “The differentiator isn’t just offerings; it’s education and guidance. By combining College Raptor insights with our financial tools, we’re helping students and families not only pay for college but also choose the right college and build habits that lead to long-term financial well-being.”

The Citizens Student Hub reflects a new approach to guiding students from high school into and beyond college, seamlessly integrating college planning, financial education, and practical banking tools. This innovative platform underscores Citizens’ commitment to empowering students and families with the knowledge and resources they need to make confident, informed decisions and achieve their educational and financial goals.

In addition to rankings and planning calculators, the Hub includes a growing library of articles, FAQs, and interactive resources designed to answer the real questions students and families have about managing money, finding and funding college, building credit, and preparing for life beyond graduation.

Top colleges featured in the Hidden Gems include:

Middle Class Affordability

College of the Ozarks
Berea College
College of Saint Mary
Bryn Mawr College
Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Division III (D3) Colleges

Grove City College
Pitzer College
Bryn Mawr College
Wheaton College
Scripps College

To explore the full 2026 Hidden Gems list, visit citizensbank.com/HiddenGems. The Citizens Student Hub can be found at citizensbank.com/student.

About College Raptor

The full methodology of College Raptor’s rankings is outlined here. College Raptor’s annual Hidden Gem research complements its annual “Best College” rankings. When used with College Raptor’s College Match Tool, these lists empower students and families to curate their own best colleges lists based on unique campus preferences, academic performance and goals, as well as financial circumstances.

College Raptor is the most evolved, accurate, and comprehensive college search site with tools to empower students, parents, counselors, and colleges with college planning. College Raptor is the only college search platform that enables students and families to discover quality, affordable college options based on personalized estimates of financial aid, scholarships, academic match, and acceptance odds at every 4-year college in the country. More than 35 million students and families have used College Raptor to find cost-effective, academically appropriate college options that prepare them for future careers. For more information, visit CollegeRaptor.com.

About Citizens Financial Group

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $218.3 billion in assets as of June 30, 2025. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,000 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on X, LinkedIn or Facebook.