Principia College

Principia College sits on 2,500 acres of wooded bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River in rural Elsah, Illinois, founded in 1910 by Mary Kimball Morgan to educate Christian Science students. The school maintains a strong legacy of fostering self-reliance through its required work program, where undergraduates take on campus jobs like groundskeeping or dining services for 15 hours weekly. Students who thrive here often seek a tight-knit community with an international flavor—about one in five comes from abroad—and appreciate structured routines amid nature. Those wired for big-city bustle or independent schedules might find the remote setting and work commitments limiting. Elsah offers quiet village charm, with St. Louis an hour away for occasional escapes.