Top Liberal Arts Colleges

Academic OverviewKey Fact

Institutional Characteristics

Next table compares the basic academic information between Top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges. By school type, there are 8 public and 92 private schools in Top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges. By school level, all 100 schools are 4 years or high institutes.

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Academic Comparison - Top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges
Rank	Name	Location	Type/Level	Highest Degree	Offered Degree
1	Pomona College	Claremont, CA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
2	Claremont McKenna College	Claremont, CA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
3	Swarthmore College	Swarthmore, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
4	Williams College	Williamstown, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
5	Barnard College	New York, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
6	Amherst College	Amherst, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
7	Harvey Mudd College	Claremont, CA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
8	Washington and Lee University	Lexington, VA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Bachelor, Doctorate
9	Bowdoin College	Brunswick, ME	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
10	Davidson College	Davidson, NC	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
11	Wellesley College	Wellesley, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
12	Soka University of America	Aliso Viejo, CA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
13	Carleton College	Northfield, MN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
14	Colby College	Waterville, ME	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
15	Middlebury College	Middlebury, VT	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Doctorate
16	Thomas Aquinas College	Santa Paula, CA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
17	United States Naval Academy	Annapolis, MD	Public, 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
18	Haverford College	Haverford, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
19	Hamilton College	Clinton, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
20	Vassar College	Poughkeepsie, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
21	Scripps College	Claremont, CA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor, Post-Graduate
22	Pitzer College	Claremont, CA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
23	Colgate University	Hamilton, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
24	Wesleyan University	Middletown, CT	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Doctorate, Post-Graduate
25	Colorado College	Colorado Springs, CO	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
26	Principia College	Elsah, IL	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
27	University of Richmond	University of Richmond, VA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Certificate, Associate, Bachelor, Master, Doctorate, Post-Graduate
28	Lafayette College	Easton, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
29	Oberlin College	Oberlin, OH	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Certificate, Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate
30	University of New Hampshire at Manchester	Manchester, NH	Public, 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Associate, Bachelor
31	Berea College	Berea, KY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
32	Bucknell University	Lewisburg, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
33	United States Military Academy	West Point, NY	Public, 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
34	Grinnell College	Grinnell, IA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
35	Macalester College	Saint Paul, MN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
36	Bates College	Lewiston, ME	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
37	United States Air Force Academy	USAF Academy, CO	Public, 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
38	Trinity College	Hartford, CT	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
39	Smith College	Northampton, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Doctorate, Post-Graduate
40	Wheaton College	Wheaton, IL	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Doctorate, Post-Graduate
41	Connecticut College	New London, CT	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
42	St. John's College	Annapolis, MD	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
43	Occidental College	Los Angeles, CA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
44	Skidmore College	Saratoga Springs, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
45	Bryn Mawr College	Bryn Mawr, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Doctorate, Post-Graduate
46	Kenyon College	Gambier, OH	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
47	Mount Holyoke College	South Hadley, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate
48	Denison University	Granville, OH	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
49	St Olaf College	Northfield, MN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
50	College of the Holy Cross	Worcester, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
51	St. John's College	Santa Fe, NM	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
52	Hillsdale College	Hillsdale, MI	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Doctorate
53	Whitman College	Walla Walla, WA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
54	Reed College	Portland, OR	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
55	Union College	Schenectady, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
56	Sarah Lawrence College	Bronxville, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
57	Wabash College	Crawfordsville, IN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
58	Franklin and Marshall College	Lancaster, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
59	Wheaton College	Norton, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
60	Elizabethtown College	Elizabethtown, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Certificate, Bachelor, Master
61	Virginia Military Institute	Lexington, VA	Public, 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
62	Hobart William Smith Colleges	Geneva, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
63	Saint Johns University	Collegeville, MN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
64	Muhlenberg College	Allentown, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Certificate, Associate, Bachelor
65	Hope College	Holland, MI	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
66	Centre College	Danville, KY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
67	Hendrix College	Conway, AR	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
68	St Lawrence University	Canton, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate
69	Illinois Wesleyan University	Bloomington, IL	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
70	Ursinus College	Collegeville, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
71	Wofford College	Spartanburg, SC	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
72	Furman University	Greenville, SC	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate
73	Lawrence University	Appleton, WI	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
74	College of Saint Benedict	Saint Joseph, MN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
75	DePauw University	Greencastle, IN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
76	Saint Anselm College	Manchester, NH	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
77	The University of Virginia's College at Wise	Wise, VA	Public, 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
78	Saint Mary's College	Notre Dame, IN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Doctorate
79	Bennington College	Bennington, VT	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
80	Centenary College of Louisiana	Shreveport, LA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
81	Wesleyan College	Macon, GA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
82	Allegheny College	Meadville, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
83	Gettysburg College	Gettysburg, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
84	The King's College	New York, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
85	Dickinson College	Carlisle, PA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
86	The College of Wooster	Wooster, OH	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
87	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine	Media, PA	Public, 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Certificate, Associate, Bachelor
88	Earlham College	Richmond, IN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate
89	Luther College	Decorah, IA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
90	Meredith College	Raleigh, NC	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate
91	Rhodes College	Memphis, TN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
92	Agnes Scott College	Decatur, GA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
93	Austin College	Sherman, TX	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
94	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	North Adams, MA	Public, 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Certificate, Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate
95	Thomas More College of Liberal Arts	Merrimack, NH	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor
96	Gordon College	Wenham, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate
97	Sweet Briar College	Sweet Briar, VA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
98	Bard College	Annandale-On-Hudson, NY	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Doctor's Degree	Associate, Bachelor, Master, Doctorate
99	Concordia College at Moorhead	Moorhead, MN	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master
100	Emmanuel College	Boston, MA	Private (not-for-profit), 4 or more years	Master's Degree	Bachelor, Master, Post-Graduate

Key Facts Comparison

The average tuition & fees of Top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges is $45,202 for State residents and $48,567 for out-of-state students. The average acceptance rate is 45.94% and graduation rate is 80.49%. Next table compares key facts for each schools including acceptance rate, graduation rate, tuition, student to faculty ratio, and student population.

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Key Facts Comparison Between Top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges
	Rank	Name	Tuition & Fees	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Student Faculty Ratio	Student Population
	1	Pomona College	$54,762	7%	93%	7:1	1,573
	2	Claremont McKenna College	$56,475	10%	91%	8:1	1,327
	3	Swarthmore College	$54,656	9%	94%	8:1	1,559
	4	Williams College	$57,280	13%	95%	6:1	2,149
	5	Barnard College	$57,668	12%	92%	9:1	2,562
	6	Amherst College	$58,640	11%	95%	7:1	1,855
	7	Harvey Mudd College	$58,660	14%	92%	8:1	902
	8	Washington and Lee University	$54,830	19%	94%	8:1	2,223
	9	Bowdoin College	$56,350	9%	95%	9:1	1,828
	10	Davidson College	$52,991	18%	91%	9:1	1,843
	11	Wellesley College	$56,052	22%	91%	8:1	2,534
	12	Soka University of America	$33,982	40%	89%	8:1	442
	13	Carleton College	$57,111	19%	92%	9:1	2,097
	14	Colby College	$57,280	10%	89%	10:1	2,000
	15	Middlebury College	$56,216	15%	93%	8:1	2,611
	16	Thomas Aquinas College	$25,600	79%	84%	11:1	407
	17	United States Naval Academy	-$1 / -	8%	92%	8:1	4,512
	18	Haverford College	$56,698	16%	90%	8:1	1,310
	19	Hamilton College	$56,530	16%	93%	9:1	2,005
	20	Vassar College	$58,770	24%	91%	8:1	2,456
	21	Scripps College	$57,188	32%	90%	10:1	1,071
	22	Pitzer College	$56,018	14%	85%	10:1	1,072
	23	Colgate University	$58,045	23%	91%	9:1	2,969
	24	Wesleyan University	$57,034	16%	92%	8:1	3,217
	25	Colorado College	$58,086	14%	83%	10:1	2,144
	26	Principia College	$30,190	91%	80%	6:1	447
	27	University of Richmond	$54,690	28%	89%	8:1	4,002
	28	Lafayette College	$55,002	31%	88%	10:1	2,642
	29	Oberlin College	$56,818	36%	86%	9:1	2,812
	30	University of New Hampshire at Manchester	$15,685 / $32,195	91%	48%	10:1	750
	31	Berea College	$44,700	30%	68%	10:1	1,673
	32	Bucknell University	$58,196	34%	90%	9:1	3,668
	33	United States Military Academy	$0 / -	12%	85%	7:1	4,589
	34	Grinnell College	$54,354	23%	89%	9:1	1,716
	35	Macalester College	$56,292	32%	91%	10:1	2,174
	36	Bates College	$55,683	12%	91%	10:1	1,832
	37	United States Air Force Academy	$0 / -	11%	85%	8:1	4,336
	38	Trinity College	$59,050	33%	83%	9:1	2,235
	39	Smith College	$54,224	32%	89%	9:1	2,903
	40	Wheaton College	$37,700	85%	89%	10:1	2,944
	41	Connecticut College	$56,890	37%	84%	9:1	1,844
	42	St. John's College	$35,635	60%	69%	7:1	527
	43	Occidental College	$56,576	37%	86%	9:1	1,930
	44	Skidmore College	$56,322	30%	88%	8:1	2,613
	45	Bryn Mawr College	$54,440	33%	84%	9:1	1,690
	46	Kenyon College	$58,480	34%	91%	10:1	1,730
	47	Mount Holyoke College	$52,258	38%	83%	9:1	2,335
	48	Denison University	$53,830	29%	82%	9:1	2,394
	49	St Olaf College	$49,710	48%	86%	12:1	3,048
	50	College of the Holy Cross	$54,740	34%	90%	10:1	2,939
	51	St. John's College	$35,755	66%	61%	7:1	371
	52	Hillsdale College	$28,368	48%	86%	9:1	1,521
	53	Whitman College	$53,820	56%	90%	9:1	1,475
	54	Reed College	$58,440	39%	76%	9:1	1,503
	55	Union College	$57,324	43%	82%	10:1	2,197
	56	Sarah Lawrence College	$57,520	53%	78%	9:1	1,709
	57	Wabash College	$44,720	64%	74%	10:1	882
	58	Franklin and Marshall College	$58,800	30%	85%	9:1	2,309
	59	Wheaton College	$54,568	74%	75%	11:1	1,760
	60	Elizabethtown College	$32,000	81%	69%	11:1	1,687
	61	Virginia Military Institute	$19,118 / $45,962	60%	79%	10:1	1,685
	62	Hobart William Smith Colleges	$57,030	66%	77%	10:1	2,241
	63	Saint Johns University	$46,546	78%	75%	12:1	1,777
	64	Muhlenberg College	$54,600	66%	84%	10:1	2,340
	65	Hope College	$35,330	86%	81%	11:1	3,149
	66	Centre College	$43,000	76%	84%	11:1	1,434
	67	Hendrix College	$47,600	70%	71%	10:1	1,208
	68	St Lawrence University	$56,765	42%	84%	11:1	2,522
	69	Illinois Wesleyan University	$49,488	61%	77%	11:1	1,693
	70	Ursinus College	$53,610	79%	81%	10:1	1,435
	71	Wofford College	$45,710	60%	85%	11:1	1,666
	72	Furman University	$50,844	57%	83%	10:1	2,947
	73	Lawrence University	$49,122	62%	79%	8:1	1,463
	74	College of Saint Benedict	$46,820	80%	80%	12:1	1,782
	75	DePauw University	$51,146	64%	84%	9:1	2,156
	76	Saint Anselm College	$41,800	75%	78%	11:1	2,024
	77	The University of Virginia's College at Wise	$10,252 / $28,661	59%	44%	11:1	2,065
	78	Saint Mary's College	$43,900	81%	79%	9:1	1,611
	79	Bennington College	$55,950	61%	76%	9:1	811
	80	Centenary College of Louisiana	$37,310	60%	59%	9:1	585
	81	Wesleyan College	$23,970	44%	50%	8:1	765
	82	Allegheny College	$49,260	62%	74%	10:1	1,771
	83	Gettysburg College	$56,390	48%	81%	9:1	2,441
	84	The King's College	$37,690	42%	53%	15:1	554
	85	Dickinson College	$56,498	40%	83%	9:1	2,399
	86	The College of Wooster	$52,000	55%	77%	11:1	2,004
	87	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine	$14,476 / $23,466	87%	71%	13:1	1,351
	88	Earlham College	$47,380	63%	64%	10:1	1,104
	89	Luther College	$44,070	62%	75%	11:1	2,005
	90	Meredith College	$38,620	65%	66%	11:1	1,905
	91	Rhodes College	$49,198	45%	80%	10:1	2,036
	92	Agnes Scott College	$42,690	65%	73%	10:1	1,030
	93	Austin College	$41,155	51%	72%	13:1	1,299
	94	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	$10,930 / $19,875	82%	61%	11:1	1,452
	95	Thomas More College of Liberal Arts	$21,600	94%	64%	9:1	90
	96	Gordon College	$38,650	74%	69%	11:1	1,955
	97	Sweet Briar College	$22,020	76%	34%	7:1	337
	98	Bard College	$56,036	65%	77%	9:1	2,207
	99	Concordia College at Moorhead	$41,566	68%	72%	12:1	2,129
	100	Emmanuel College	$41,448	78%	66%	13:1	2,209
Average			$45,202 / $48,567	45.94%	80.49%	9.50:1	1,915