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.

Compare Selected Schools

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 $45,214 for State residents and $49,633 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.

Compare Selected Schools

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	$54,774	7%	93%	7:1	1,573
	2	Claremont McKenna College	$56,475	10%	91%	8:1	1,327
	3	Swarthmore College	$54,456	9%	94%	8:1	1,559
	4	Williams College	$50,450	13%	95%	6:1	2,149
	5	Barnard College	$57,479	12%	92%	9:1	2,562
	6	Amherst College	$60,890	11%	95%	7:1	1,855
	7	Harvey Mudd College	$58,660	14%	92%	8:1	902
	8	Washington and Lee University	$57,285	19%	94%	8:1	2,223
	9	Bowdoin College	$56,350	9%	95%	9:1	1,828
	10	Davidson College	$55,175	18%	91%	9:1	1,843
	11	Wellesley College	$58,448	22%	91%	8:1	2,534
	12	Soka University of America	$33,962	40%	89%	8:1	442
	13	Carleton College	$59,352	19%	92%	9:1	2,097
	14	Colby College	$59,430	10%	89%	10:1	2,000
	15	Middlebury College	$58,316	15%	93%	8:1	2,611
	16	Thomas Aquinas College	$26,000	79%	84%	11:1	407
	17	United States Naval Academy	-$1 / -	8%	92%	8:1	4,512
	18	Haverford College	$59,162	16%	90%	8:1	1,310
	19	Hamilton College	$58,510	16%	93%	9:1	2,005
	20	Vassar College	$60,930	24%	91%	8:1	2,456
	21	Scripps College	$57,188	32%	90%	10:1	1,071
	22	Pitzer College	$55,878	14%	85%	10:1	1,072
	23	Colgate University	$60,015	23%	91%	9:1	2,969
	24	Wesleyan University	$59,686	16%	92%	8:1	3,217
	25	Colorado College	$60,864	14%	83%	10:1	2,144
	26	Principia College	$30,720	91%	80%	6:1	447
	27	University of Richmond	$56,860	28%	89%	8:1	4,002
	28	Lafayette College	$55,742	31%	88%	10:1	2,642
	29	Oberlin College	$58,554	36%	86%	9:1	2,812
	30	University of New Hampshire at Manchester	$15,778 / $33,088	91%	48%	10:1	750
	31	Berea College	$45,092	30%	68%	10:1	1,673
	32	Bucknell University	$58,202	34%	90%	9:1	3,668
	33	United States Military Academy	$0 / -	12%	85%	7:1	4,589
	34	Grinnell College	$56,680	23%	89%	9:1	1,716
	35	Macalester College	$58,478	32%	91%	10:1	2,174
	36	Bates College	$57,353	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	$39,100	85%	89%	10:1	2,944
	41	Connecticut College	$59,025	37%	84%	9:1	1,844
	42	St. John's College	$35,935	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	$55,020	34%	91%	10:1	1,730
	47	Mount Holyoke College	$54,618	38%	83%	9:1	2,335
	48	Denison University	$56,680	29%	82%	9:1	2,394
	49	St Olaf College	$51,450	48%	86%	12:1	3,048
	50	College of the Holy Cross	$54,770	34%	90%	10:1	2,939
	51	St. John's College	$35,760	66%	61%	7:1	371
	52	Hillsdale College	$29,482	48%	86%	9:1	1,521
	53	Whitman College	$50,408	56%	90%	9:1	1,475
	54	Reed College	$60,620	39%	76%	9:1	1,503
	55	Union College	$59,502	43%	82%	10:1	2,197
	56	Sarah Lawrence College	$57,520	53%	78%	9:1	1,709
	57	Wabash College	$45,850	64%	74%	10:1	882
	58	Franklin and Marshall College	$61,062	30%	85%	9:1	2,309
	59	Wheaton College	$56,366	74%	75%	11:1	1,760
	60	Elizabethtown College	$32,960	81%	69%	11:1	1,687
	61	Virginia Military Institute	$19,210 / $47,220	60%	79%	10:1	1,685
	62	Hobart William Smith Colleges	$58,650	66%	77%	10:1	2,241
	63	Saint Johns University	$48,166	78%	75%	12:1	1,777
	64	Muhlenberg College	$54,600	66%	84%	10:1	2,340
	65	Hope College	$36,650	86%	81%	11:1	3,149
	66	Centre College	$44,300	76%	84%	11:1	1,434
	67	Hendrix College	$49,490	70%	71%	10:1	1,208
	68	St Lawrence University	$58,750	42%	84%	11:1	2,522
	69	Illinois Wesleyan University	$51,336	61%	77%	11:1	1,693
	70	Ursinus College	$55,210	79%	81%	10:1	1,435
	71	Wofford College	$47,650	60%	85%	11:1	1,666
	72	Furman University	$52,092	57%	83%	10:1	2,947
	73	Lawrence University	$50,958	62%	79%	8:1	1,463
	74	College of Saint Benedict	$48,444	80%	80%	12:1	1,782
	75	DePauw University	$52,710	64%	84%	9:1	2,156
	76	Saint Anselm College	$42,840	75%	78%	11:1	2,024
	77	The University of Virginia's College at Wise	$10,836 / $29,798	59%	44%	11:1	2,065
	78	Saint Mary's College	$45,720	81%	79%	9:1	1,611
	79	Bennington College	$58,124	61%	76%	9:1	811
	80	Centenary College of Louisiana	$38,060	60%	59%	9:1	585
	81	Wesleyan College	$25,190	44%	50%	8:1	765
	82	Allegheny College	$50,980	62%	74%	10:1	1,771
	83	Gettysburg College	$58,500	48%	81%	9:1	2,441
	84	The King's College	$37,690	42%	53%	15:1	554
	85	Dickinson College	$56,523	40%	83%	9:1	2,399
	86	The College of Wooster	$54,000	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	$48,091	63%	64%	10:1	1,104
	89	Luther College	$45,610	62%	75%	11:1	2,005
	90	Meredith College	$39,952	65%	66%	11:1	1,905
	91	Rhodes College	$50,910	45%	80%	10:1	2,036
	92	Agnes Scott College	$44,250	65%	73%	10:1	1,030
	93	Austin College	$42,590	51%	72%	13:1	1,299
	94	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	$11,306 / $20,251	82%	61%	11:1	1,452
	95	Thomas More College of Liberal Arts	$24,600	94%	64%	9:1	90
	96	Gordon College	$39,230	74%	69%	11:1	1,955
	97	Sweet Briar College	$22,700	76%	34%	7:1	337
	98	Bard College	$56,036	65%	77%	9:1	2,207
	99	Concordia College at Moorhead	$43,266	68%	72%	12:1	2,129
	100	Emmanuel College	$42,516	78%	66%	13:1	2,209
Average			$45,214 / $49,633	45.94%	80.49%	9.50:1	1,915