National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings

The National Liberal Arts Colleges, including schools like Wellesley College and Bowdoin College, emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study.

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National Liberal Arts Colleges
< $5,000 - $50,000
0 - 14,000
< 10% - 90%
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Williams College

Williamstown, MA
#1 in National Liberal Arts Colleges

Williams College, a private institution in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has three undergraduate academic branches: languages and the arts, social sciences, and science and mathematics. Classes at Williams are small and some use an Oxford-style teaching method that relies heavily on student participation. more

$51,790 Tuition and Fees
2,099 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Amherst College

Amherst, MA
#2 in National Liberal Arts Colleges

Amherst College, a private school in Amherst, Massachusetts, is known for its rigorous academic climate. Because Amherst is a member of the Five Colleges consortium, students can also take courses at Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts—Amherst. more

$52,476 Tuition and Fees
1,795 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA
#3 in National Liberal Arts Colleges

Wellesley is a private liberal arts college for women about 10 miles from Boston in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Students at Wellesley have more than 1,000 courses and more than 50 majors to choose from and can also cross-register for classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. more

$48,802 Tuition and Fees
2,356 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Middlebury College

Middlebury, VT
#4 in National Liberal Arts Colleges (tie)

Among the academic focuses at Middlebury College are programs in environmental studies, international studies, the sciences and literature. The private institution is located in Middlebury, Vermont, in a valley between the Green Mountains and the Adirondack Mountains. more

$50,063 Tuition and Fees
2,542 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA
#4 in National Liberal Arts Colleges (tie)

About 10 miles outside of Philadelphia is Swarthmore College, a private liberal arts institution that also offers a unique engineering degree program. Because Swarthmore is part of the Tri-College Consortium, students can also take courses at nearby Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College. more

$49,104 Tuition and Fees
1,581 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME
#6 in National Liberal Arts Colleges

Submitting SAT and ACT scores is optional for admission to Bowdoin College, a private institution located in the coastal New England town of Brunswick, Maine. The college is home to many organizations including the Peucinian Society, one of the oldest literary and intellectual societies in the country. more

$49,900 Tuition and Fees
1,799 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Carleton College

Northfield, MN
#7 in National Liberal Arts Colleges (tie)

Carleton College is a private school in the historic river town of Northfield, Minnesota. Carls, as its students are known, have about 35 majors to choose from and more than 170 organizations to check out. more

$50,874 Tuition and Fees
2,014 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Pomona College

Claremont, CA
#7 in National Liberal Arts Colleges (tie)

Pomona College is located in Claremont, California, about 35 miles away from downtown Los Angeles. Students can take advantage of this private institution's unique location during the annual Ski Beach Day, a morning of skiing at a local resort before an afternoon on a beach in Orange County. more

$49,352 Tuition and Fees
1,663 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA
#9 in National Liberal Arts Colleges (tie)

Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, is a member of The Claremont Colleges, which include Scripps College, Pomona College, Harvey Mudd College and Pitzer College. Claremont McKenna students can take classes, play sports and attend social functions at the other member schools. more

$50,945 Tuition and Fees
1,328 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more

Davidson College

Davidson, NC
#9 in National Liberal Arts Colleges (tie)

Davidson College, a private institution about 20 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina, has a need-blind admissions policy. Through the Davidson Trust, the school aims to graduate students without debt by meeting all demonstrated need with a combination of grants and work-study programs rather than loans. more

$48,376 Tuition and Fees
1,784 Undergraduate Enrollment
SAT, GPA and more