College Research

CollegesRankingsMajors

2025-26 Rankings

Top Liberal Arts Colleges

Our rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics including academic selectivity, institutional resources, and tuition costs.

Note: Tuition costs shown for public universities reflect in-state tuition rates.

Davis Center - Leers Weinzapfel Associates
#1
Williams College

Williamstown, MAPrivate

8%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$78,710/yr

SAT RANGE

1490-1570

GRADUATION RATE

94%

"In the shadow of the Berkshires, Williams wraps you in Oxford-style tutorials and mountain adventures, forging deep thinkers who hike as fiercely as they debate."

Harvey Mudd College: Galileo Hall Renovation - Perkins Eastman
#2
Harvey Mudd College

Claremont, CAPrivate

13%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$84,834/yr

SAT RANGE

1500-1570

GRADUATION RATE

94%

"Harvey Mudd College turns math geeks and tinkerers into collaborative problem-solvers who tackle real-world tech challenges in sunny Claremont."

Visiting | Amherst College
#3
Amherst College

Amherst, MAPrivate

9%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$81,890/yr

SAT RANGE

1490-1580

GRADUATION RATE

94%

"At Amherst, you craft your own intellectual path in an intimate liberal arts haven powered by the Five College Consortium, where self-starters thrive amid collaborative quirkiness."

Pomona College Studio Art Hall / WHY Architecture | ArchDaily
#4
Pomona College

Claremont, CAPrivate

7%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$80,212/yr

SAT RANGE

1490-1560

GRADUATION RATE

94%

"Pomona College wraps you in the tight-knit intellectual buzz of a true liberal arts haven, amplified by the shared playground of five neighboring Claremont Colleges."

Drones! – Swarthmore College – ITS Blog
#5
Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PAPrivate

7%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$79,236/yr

SAT RANGE

1490-1560

GRADUATION RATE

94%

"Swarthmore: the fiercely intellectual Quaker enclave where you'll wrestle big ideas alongside hyper-driven peers in a leafy Philly suburb."

About | Bowdoin College
#6
Bowdoin College

Brunswick, MEPrivate

7%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$79,440/yr

SAT RANGE

1470-1550

GRADUATION RATE

94%

"Bowdoin College turns Maine's biting coastal winds into a launchpad for polar explorers, policy wonks, and outdoor philosophers who crave tight-knit intellectual camaraderie."

The Robert Day Sciences Center | Claremont McKenna College
#7
Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CAPrivate

10%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$81,310/yr

SAT RANGE

1470-1560

GRADUATION RATE

93%

"CMC turns ambitious undergrads into suited-up leaders ready to conquer Wall Street or Washington, all from a sunny Southern California consortium campus."

Wellesley College (2026) – Best of TikTok, Instagram & Reddit Travel Guide
#8
Wellesley College

Wellesley, MAPrivate

14%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$82,608/yr

SAT RANGE

1460-1560

GRADUATION RATE

92%

"Wellesley shapes fiercely intelligent women into global leaders on a lakeside campus where collaboration trumps competition, just minutes from Boston."

Coffee around Campus
#9
Carleton College

Northfield, MNPrivate

20%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$79,830/yr

SAT RANGE

1450-1560

GRADUATION RATE

92%

"Carleton College hones quirky intellectuals into collaborative thinkers amid Minnesota's endless winters and vast prairies."

Haverford College
#10
Haverford College

Haverford, PAPrivate

12%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$82,020/yr

SAT RANGE

1460-1550

GRADUATION RATE

90%

"Quaker-forged liberal arts college where an ironclad Honor Code lets you self-schedule exams and run your own dorms in a trust-soaked bubble near Philly."

Study abroad at the University of Sydney | Barnard College
#11
Barnard College

New York, NYPrivate

9%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$82,192/yr

SAT RANGE

1470-1560

GRADUATION RATE

93%

"Barnard's fierce, all-women undergrad haven in NYC lets you earn a Columbia degree while forging unapologetic leadership in a city that never sleeps."

Apply to Vassar College
#12
Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NYPrivate

19%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$82,080/yr

SAT RANGE

1450-1550

GRADUATION RATE

92%

"Vassar College: the quirky Hudson Valley liberal arts haven where eccentric intellectuals and artists debate philosophy over farm-fresh ice cream."

Visit
#13
Washington and Lee University

Lexington, VAPrivate

14%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$79,275/yr

SAT RANGE

1430-1540

GRADUATION RATE

94%

"You'll pledge your honor in a tight-knit Southern enclave where unproctored exams test character as much as knowledge."

Waterville, Maine: Colby College Memorial Flagpole"
#14
Colby College

Waterville, MEPrivate

7%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$78,730/yr

SAT RANGE

1460-1550

GRADUATION RATE

87%

"In remote Maine woods, Colby forges resilient adventurers into sharp thinkers via tiny classes and a signature January of wild projects."

Middlebury College - Hillel International
#15
Middlebury College

Middlebury, VTPrivate

11%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$81,250/yr

SAT RANGE

1445-1550

GRADUATION RATE

92%

"In Vermont's snowy embrace, Middlebury forges linguists and adventurers who conquer languages through total immersion and trails alike."

Zoom Backgrounds, Style Guides, University Communications - Wesleyan  University
#16
Wesleyan University

Middletown, CTPrivate

16%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$83,594/yr

SAT RANGE

1415-1540

GRADUATION RATE

91%

"Wesleyan unleashes your inner activist-artist through its boundless open curriculum in a quirky Connecticut mill town."

Admission & Aid | Colgate University
#17
Colgate University

Hamilton, NYPrivate

14%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$81,514/yr

SAT RANGE

1430-1540

GRADUATION RATE

91%

"Colgate molds ambitious, outdoorsy overachievers into finance titans and policymakers amid upstate New York's endless trails and blizzards."

Hamilton College
#18
Hamilton College

Clinton, NYPrivate

14%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$79,560/yr

SAT RANGE

1450-1550

GRADUATION RATE

91%

"In a quiet upstate New York village, Hamilton equips fiercely independent thinkers with an open curriculum that lets you design your own intellectual adventure amid rolling hills and brutal winters."

Grinnell College Recreation and Athletic Center – Sasaki
#19
Grinnell College

Grinnell, IAPrivate

15%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$77,830/yr

SAT RANGE

1410-1540

GRADUATION RATE

89%

"Nestled in Iowa's cornfields, Grinnell molds fiercely independent thinkers who dive headfirst into ideas without the distractions of big-city buzz."

Picture this: Gallery - URNow - University of Richmond
#20
University of Richmond

University of Richmond, VAPrivate

22%
Acceptance Rate
TOTAL COST

$77,470/yr

SAT RANGE

1410-1530

GRADUATION RATE

86%

"You'll paddle across Westhampton Lake to class at this polished Virginia liberal arts powerhouse, where preppy ambition fuels boardrooms and backboards alike."