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 2023 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 Harvey Mudd 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 1,409 where Harvey Mudd College has the highest SAT score of 1,530. Total 108,853 students are attending the Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges where United States Naval Academy is the largest with 4,528 students and University of New Hampshire at Manchester is the smallest with 664 students.
The average graduation rate is 86.64% and the average students to faculty ratio is 9.12:1 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 | 7.00% | 1,520 | 93% | 1,764 | 7:1 |
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA | 13.00% | 1,530 | 94% | 905 | 9:1 |
| 3 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA | 7.00% | 1,520 | 94% | 1,651 | 8:1 |
| 4 | Amherst College Amherst, MA | 7.00% | 1,510 | 92% | 1,971 | 7:1 |
| 5 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA | 10.00% | 1,510 | 93% | 1,422 | 8:1 |
| 6 | Williams College Williamstown, MA | 8.00% | 1,530 | 94% | 2,224 | 6:1 |
| 7 | Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME | 9.00% | 1,520 | 94% | 1,951 | 9:1 |
| 8 | Barnard College New York, NY | 9.00% | 1,505 | 93% | 3,043 | 10:1 |
| 9 | Colby College Waterville, ME | 8.00% | 1,490 | 87% | 2,262 | 10:1 |
| 10 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA | 17.00% | 1,480 | 94% | 2,238 | 8:1 |
| 11 | Middlebury College Middlebury, VT | 13.00% | 1,490 | 91% | 2,937 | 9:1 |
| 12 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA | 11.00% | 1,480 | 87% | 1,748 | 9:1 |
| 13 | Wellesley College Wellesley, MA | 14.00% | 1,490 | 92% | 2,461 | 8:1 |
| 14 | Hamilton College Clinton, NY | 12.00% | 1,490 | 92% | 2,055 | 9:1 |
| 15 | Carleton College Northfield, MN | 17.00% | 1,490 | 91% | 2,044 | 8:1 |
| 16 | Haverford College Haverford, PA | 14.00% | 1,500 | 90% | 1,420 | 8:1 |
| 17 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY | 12.00% | 1,480 | 90% | 3,176 | 9:1 |
| 18 | Wesleyan University Middletown, CT | 14.00% | 1,420 | 91% | 3,581 | 8:1 |
| 19 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA | 36.00% | 1,350 | 93% | 3,029 | 10:1 |
| 20 | Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY | 19.00% | 1,490 | 93% | 2,516 | 8:1 |
| 21 | Davidson College Davidson, NC | 16.99% | 1,430 | 90% | 1,973 | 10:1 |
| 22 | Bates College Lewiston, ME | 14.00% | 1,480 | 92% | 1,821 | 10:1 |
| 23 | Union College Schenectady, NY | 47.00% | 1,390 | 85% | 2,096 | 9:1 |
| 24 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | 33.00% | 1,390 | 88% | 3,757 | 9:1 |
| 25 | Scripps College Claremont, CA | 28.01% | 1,460 | 82% | 1,116 | 10:1 |
| 26 | Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO | 16.00% | 1,370 | 86% | 2,266 | 9:1 |
| 27 | Pitzer College Claremont, CA | 18.00% | - | 88% | 1,168 | 12:1 |
| 28 | Lafayette College Easton, PA | 34.00% | 1,410 | 88% | 2,725 | 10:1 |
| 29 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA | 24.00% | 1,470 | 89% | 3,890 | 8:1 |
| 30 | United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD | 8.45% | 1,310 | 91% | 4,528 | 8:1 |
| 31 | Trinity College Hartford, CT | 36.00% | 1,380 | 85% | 2,190 | 9:1 |
| 32 | Connecticut College New London, CT | 40.00% | 1,420 | 81% | 1,829 | 9:1 |
| 33 | Smith College Northampton, MA | 23.00% | 1,440 | 91% | 2,924 | 9:1 |
| 34 | Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA | 66.00% | 1,310 | 82% | 2,095 | 9:1 |
| 35 | Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN | 85.99% | 1,070 | 79% | 1,643 | 11:1 |
| 36 | DePauw University Greencastle, IN | 66.00% | 1,250 | 83% | 1,724 | 9:1 |
| 37 | Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL | 41.99% | 1,250 | 81% | 1,653 | 12:1 |
| 38 | Oberlin College Oberlin, OH | 35.00% | 1,450 | 82% | 2,953 | 9:1 |
| 39 | Macalester College Saint Paul, MN | 28.01% | 1,420 | 90% | 2,244 | 10:1 |
| 40 | Kenyon College Gambier, OH | 33.99% | 1,420 | 87% | 1,875 | 9:1 |
| 41 | Occidental College Los Angeles, CA | 39.00% | 1,430 | 83% | 1,964 | 9:1 |
| 42 | Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY | 26.00% | 1,390 | 84% | 2,686 | 8:1 |
| 43 | Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA | 31.00% | 1,400 | 87% | 1,778 | 9:1 |
| 44 | Westmont College Santa Barbara, CA | 81.99% | 1,375 | 73% | 1,238 | 10:1 |
| 45 | University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH | 85.00% | 1,090 | 60% | 664 | 9:1 |
| 46 | Hobart William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY | 68.00% | 1,310 | 73% | 1,684 | 9:1 |
| 47 | Dickinson College Carlisle, PA | 35.00% | - | 82% | 2,186 | 9:1 |
| 48 | Saint Anselm College Manchester, NH | 81.99% | 1,210 | 77% | 1,977 | 11:1 |
| 49 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN | 74.00% | - | 78% | 2,251 | 12:1 |
| 50 | College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN | 87.98% | 1,124 | 77% | 1,557 | 11:1 |
| Average | 31.25% | 1,409 | 86.64% | 108,853 (Total) | 9.12:1 |
Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges 2023 Tuition Comparison and 2024 Estimated Costs
The following table lists 2022-2023 tuition & fees and compares them between Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges. The 2022-2023 costs are officially published by NCES, National Center for Education Statistics.
The estimated costs for the academic year 2023-2024 are estimated based on each school's rate of tuition change from 2022 to 2023.
For the undergraduate programs, the average tuition & fees of Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges is $59,814 where Kenyon College has the most expensive costs at $66,490 and University of New Hampshire at Manchester has the lowest amount of tuition at $34,664.
The average graduate tuition & fees of Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges is $36,252 where Claremont McKenna College has the highest tuition with $65,574 and Dickinson College has the lowest amount of graduate school tuition with $3,750.
| Rank | School Name | 2023 Tuition & Fees | 2024 Estimated Tuition & Fees | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | In-State | Out-of-State | ||
| 1 | Pomona College | $59,238 | $61,905 | ||
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College | $62,817 | $65,005 | ||
| 3 | Swarthmore College | $59,328 | $62,791 | ||
| 4 | Amherst College | $64,100 | $67,192 | ||
| 5 | Claremont McKenna College | $60,715 | $63,436 | ||
| 6 | Williams College | $61,770 | $63,955 | ||
| 7 | Bowdoin College | $61,528 | $64,910 | ||
| 8 | Barnard College | $62,525 | $65,498 | ||
| 9 | Colby College | $63,520 | $65,906 | ||
| 10 | Washington and Lee University | $61,750 | $64,215 | ||
| 11 | Middlebury College | $62,460 | $65,271 | ||
| 12 | Grinnell College | $61,480 | $64,449 | ||
| 13 | Wellesley College | $61,920 | $63,110 | ||
| 14 | Hamilton College | $62,670 | $65,492 | ||
| 15 | Carleton College | $62,634 | $65,139 | ||
| 16 | Haverford College | $63,628 | $66,435 | ||
| 17 | Colgate University | $64,290 | $66,701 | ||
| 18 | Wesleyan University | $64,322 | $67,002 | ||
| 19 | College of the Holy Cross | $58,360 | $60,239 | ||
| 20 | Vassar College | $64,800 | $66,789 | ||
| 21 | Davidson College | $57,340 | $59,780 | ||
| 22 | Bates College | $61,066 | $63,138 | ||
| 23 | Union College | $63,954 | $66,334 | ||
| 24 | Bucknell University | $61,746 | $63,753 | ||
| 25 | Scripps College | $60,712 | $63,070 | ||
| 26 | Colorado College | $65,028 | $68,127 | ||
| 27 | Pitzer College | $60,578 | $63,295 | ||
| 28 | Lafayette College | $59,368 | $62,532 | ||
| 29 | University of Richmond | $60,330 | $62,143 | ||
| 30 | United States Naval Academy | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | Trinity College | $63,930 | $66,597 | ||
| 32 | Connecticut College | $63,005 | $65,295 | ||
| 33 | Smith College | $58,768 | $61,548 | ||
| 34 | Muhlenberg College | $58,205 | $59,893 | ||
| 35 | Saint Johns University | $52,164 | $54,594 | ||
| 36 | DePauw University | $55,410 | $56,967 | ||
| 37 | Illinois Wesleyan University | $53,814 | $55,148 | ||
| 38 | Oberlin College | $62,024 | $63,858 | ||
| 39 | Macalester College | $62,500 | $64,547 | ||
| 40 | Kenyon College | $66,490 | $69,830 | ||
| 41 | Occidental College | $60,566 | $62,784 | ||
| 42 | Skidmore College | $62,398 | $64,728 | ||
| 43 | Bryn Mawr College | $59,330 | $62,501 | ||
| 44 | Westmont College | $50,066 | $51,513 | ||
| 45 | University of New Hampshire at Manchester | $15,804 | $34,664 | $15,823 | $35,357 |
| 46 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | $61,725 | $63,341 | ||
| 47 | Dickinson College | $61,351 | $64,113 | ||
| 48 | Saint Anselm College | $45,340 | $46,817 | ||
| 49 | Gustavus Adolphus College | $53,030 | $55,698 | ||
| 50 | College of Saint Benedict | $52,108 | $54,168 | ||
| Average | $15,804 | $59,814 | $15,823 | $62,182 | |
