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Top 5 Picks for the Best Liberal Arts Colleges in U.S., Based on Prestige
Colleges for undergraduates can be divided broadly into two categories:
- Research universities that also award doctorate and professional degrees and
- Liberal arts colleges
In this list you'll find descriptions of some of the best liberal arts colleges in the U.S. These schools are typically smaller than their university counterparts. Also, with fewer research demands and few if any graduate students, professors can focus more fully on educating undergraduates.
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Amherst College
Amherst is one of the "Little Three" (Williams and Wesleyan are the others). This small school has about 400 students in each class and is located on a picturesque campus near the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Amherst was founded in 1821 by a group of Amherst residents that included Noah Webster and Samuel Fowler Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's grandfather).
2. Williams College
Williams College is set in the Berkshire Mountains in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. Williams has about 500 students in each class and is known not only for its academic strength but also its dominance of Division III athletics.
Williams and Amherst have a fierce rivalry considered by many to be the first intercollegiate athletic rivalry.
Williams maintains a campus at Oxford University in England which approximately 25 Williams juniors attend each year.
3. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore is located outside of Philadelphia on a campus set apart from the city but close enough to be a short drive away. There are about 350 students in each Swarthmore class.
In terms of academic reputation, Swarthmore, Amherst, and Williams are at least a slight cut above the other liberal arts colleges. Among those three, Swarthmore probably has a reputation for students who are a little more bookish and intellectually minded.
4. Bowdoin College
Bowdoin is located in Brunswick, Maine. It was founded in 1794 and enrolls approximately 1700 students (about 400 per class).
Bowdoin is known for its strong science programs. Bowdoin does not require the SAT, which is optional for incoming students. Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin are three Maine liberal arts colleges that have sustained an athletic rivalry since the 19th century.
5. Pomona College
Pomona is located in Claremont, California, about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The school enrolls about 375 students in each class. Pomona only admits approximately 16% of applying students.
Pomona is one of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of small colleges that together provide their students with the resources of a larger school.
Pomona students rate themselves among the happiest in surveys of U.S. college students.
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