A liberal arts college is a four(4) years institute with an emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum.
Here, we introduce the 2025 Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges and compare them with admission and tuition information. Pomona College ranks first in Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges ranking and Bowdoin College is placed in second. (Ranking data from College Evaluator)
Academic Comparison Between Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges
The average SAT score of the schools is 1,482 where Pomona College has the highest SAT score of 1,540. Total 68,220 students are attending the Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges where Bucknell University is the largest with 3,892 students and Harvey Mudd College is the smallest with 949 students.
The average graduation rate is 89.90% and the average students to faculty ratio is 8.40:1 at those colleges.
The following table compares the key academic facts between the Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges with acceptance rate, SAT scores, graduation rates, student population, and students to faculty ratio.
| Rank | Name | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Graduation Rate | Population | Student-Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pomona College Claremont, CA | 7.09% | 1,540 | 93% | 1,664 | 7:1 |
| 2 | Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME | 7.13% | 1,520 | 95% | 1,850 | 9:1 |
| 3 | Barnard College New York, NY | 8.84% | 1,520 | 93% | 3,353 | 10:1 |
| 4 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA | 7.46% | 1,540 | 92% | 1,644 | 8:1 |
| 5 | Williams College Williamstown, MA | 8.25% | 1,540 | 94% | 2,168 | 6:1 |
| 6 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA | 9.59% | 1,530 | 91% | 1,384 | 8:1 |
| 7 | Colby College Waterville, ME | 7.09% | 1,510 | 89% | 2,284 | 9:1 |
| 8 | Amherst College Amherst, MA | 9.01% | 1,540 | 94% | 1,910 | 7:1 |
| 9 | Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA | 12.66% | 1,540 | 92% | 949 | 8:1 |
| 10 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA | 13.97% | 1,480 | 94% | 2,277 | 8:1 |
| 11 | Middlebury College Middlebury, VT | 10.75% | 1,500 | 91% | 2,857 | 9:1 |
| 12 | Wellesley College Wellesley, MA | 14.05% | 1,520 | 92% | 2,418 | 7:1 |
| 13 | Haverford College Haverford, PA | 12.37% | 1,510 | 90% | 1,424 | 8:1 |
| 14 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY | 13.88% | 1,500 | 91% | 3,146 | 9:1 |
| 15 | Hamilton College Clinton, NY | 13.62% | 1,500 | 91% | 2,048 | 9:1 |
| 16 | Davidson College Davidson, NC | 13.37% | 1,460 | 91% | 1,904 | 9:1 |
| 17 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA | 17.61% | 1,340 | 87% | 3,035 | 9:1 |
| 18 | Bates College Lewiston, ME | 13.32% | 1,465 | 90% | 1,753 | 10:1 |
| 19 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA | 14.51% | 1,490 | 88% | 1,775 | 9:1 |
| 20 | Wesleyan University Middletown, CT | 16.49% | 1,490 | 93% | 3,271 | 7:1 |
| 21 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA | 22.20% | 1,480 | 85% | 3,776 | 7:1 |
| 22 | Carleton College Northfield, MN | 20.41% | 1,515 | 90% | 2,069 | 8:1 |
| 23 | Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY | 18.57% | 1,500 | 91% | 2,456 | 8:1 |
| 24 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | 28.93% | 1,400 | 86% | 3,892 | 9:1 |
| 25 | Pitzer College Claremont, CA | 25.16% | - | 83% | 1,204 | 10:1 |
| 26 | Lafayette College Easton, PA | 31.45% | 1,430 | 88% | 2,764 | 10:1 |
| 27 | Smith College Northampton, MA | 21.00% | 1,490 | 89% | 2,830 | 8:1 |
| 28 | Trinity College Hartford, CT | 29.25% | 1,405 | 84% | 2,276 | 9:1 |
| 29 | Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA | 29.43% | 1,390 | 82% | 1,666 | 8:1 |
| 30 | Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO | 18.47% | 1,340 | 88% | 2,173 | 9:1 |
| Average | 15.86% | 1,482 | 89.90% | 68,220 (Total) | 8.40:1 |
Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges 2025 Tuition Comparison and 2026 Estimated Costs
The following table lists and compares 2024-2025 tuition & fees between Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges. The 2024-2025 costs are officially published by NCES, National Center for Education Statistics.
The estimated costs for the academic year 2025-2026 are estimated based on each school's rate of tuition change from 2024 to 2025.
For the undergraduate programs, the average tuition & fees of Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges is $67,851 where Vassar College has the most expensive costs at $71,030 and Davidson College has the lowest amount of tuition at $64,430.
The average graduate tuition & fees of Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges is $49,575 where Claremont McKenna College has the highest tuition with $72,294 and Middlebury College has the lowest amount of graduate school tuition with $15,210.
| Rank | School Name | 2025 Tuition & Fees | 2026 Estimated Tuition & Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pomona College | $65,420 | $68,668 |
| 2 | Bowdoin College | $67,832 | $70,886 |
| 3 | Barnard College | $69,888 | $73,730 |
| 4 | Swarthmore College | $65,494 | $68,728 |
| 5 | Williams College | $68,560 | $72,471 |
| 6 | Claremont McKenna College | $67,980 | $72,039 |
| 7 | Colby College | $69,600 | $72,735 |
| 8 | Amherst College | $70,480 | $73,832 |
| 9 | Harvey Mudd College | $68,613 | $71,055 |
| 10 | Washington and Lee University | $68,045 | $71,757 |
| 11 | Middlebury College | $67,600 | $70,002 |
| 12 | Wellesley College | $67,176 | $70,159 |
| 13 | Haverford College | $70,398 | $72,859 |
| 14 | Colgate University | $70,306 | $73,749 |
| 15 | Hamilton College | $68,960 | $75,797 |
| 16 | Davidson College | $64,430 | $69,129 |
| 17 | College of the Holy Cross | $64,500 | $68,369 |
| 18 | Bates College | $66,590 | $69,855 |
| 19 | Grinnell College | $68,196 | $71,701 |
| 20 | Wesleyan University | $70,042 | $73,205 |
| 21 | University of Richmond | $65,230 | $67,970 |
| 22 | Carleton College | $68,892 | $72,507 |
| 23 | Vassar College | $71,030 | $74,408 |
| 24 | Bucknell University | $67,812 | $70,995 |
| 25 | Pitzer College | $65,192 | $67,792 |
| 26 | Lafayette College | $64,648 | $67,601 |
| 27 | Smith College | $65,178 | $69,000 |
| 28 | Trinity College | $70,770 | $74,286 |
| 29 | Bryn Mawr College | $65,920 | $69,460 |
| 30 | Colorado College | $70,734 | $73,652 |
| Average | $67,851 | $71,280 |
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