Best Colleges for Liberal Arts
A liberal arts education develops well-rounded thinkers with broad knowledge across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. These colleges emphasize critical thinking, communication, and lifelong learning. Our ranking considers overall academic quality, graduation rates, program breadth, and the long-term career adaptability of graduates.
advertisement
Top 100 schools ranked in this list.
| Rank | School | Tuition | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN, 37240 | $71,226 | 6% |
| #2 | New College of Florida Sarasota, FL, 34243 | - | 73% |
| #3 | University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 | - | 15% |
| #4 | Yale University New Haven, CT, 06520 | $69,900 | 4% |
| #5 | University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, 94720 | - | 11% |
| #6 | Stanford University Stanford, CA, 94305 | $68,544 | 4% |
| #7 | University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA, 22904 | - | 17% |
| #8 | John Paul the Great Catholic University Escondido, CA, 92025 | $31,015 | 75% |
| #9 | Colby College Waterville, ME, 04901 | $72,910 | 7% |
| #10 | Spelman College Atlanta, GA, 30314 | $32,470 | 25% |
| #11 | Fairleigh Dickinson University--Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ, 07666 | $38,564 | 82% |
| #12 | New York University New York, NY, 10012 | $65,622 | 9% |
| #13 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, 90089 | $75,162 | 10% |
| #14 | Brown University Providence, RI, 02912 | $74,550 | 5% |
| #15 | Dartmouth College Hanover, NH, 03755 | $71,265 | 5% |
| #16 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA, 91711 | $72,120 | 10% |
| #17 | Saint Mary's College of California Moraga, CA, 94575 | $59,769 | 89% |
| #18 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA, 23185 | - | 34% |
| #19 | University of Richmond of Richmond, VA, 23173 | $67,840 | 22% |
| #20 | College of Saint Mary Omaha, NE, 68106 | $27,294 | 45% |
| #21 | University of Redlands Redlands, CA, 92373 | $62,382 | 83% |
| #22 | Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI, 53094 | $22,600 | 72% |
| #23 | Dominican University River Forest, IL, 60305 | $40,458 | 90% |
| #24 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA, 01060 | $68,090 | 18% |
| #25 | Farmingdale State College--SUNY Farmingdale, NY, 11735 | - | 63% |
| #26 | North Central University Minneapolis, MN, 55404 | $33,180 | 45% |
| #27 | University of Hawaii--West Oahu Kapolei, HI, 96707 | - | 95% |
| #28 | Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City, NC, 27909 | - | 65% |
| #29 | Alverno College Milwaukee, WI, 53234 | $35,112 | 86% |
| #30 | California State University--Monterey Bay Seaside, CA, 93955 | - | 97% |
| #31 | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, MA, 01247 | - | 90% |
| #32 | Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA, 17022 | $39,370 | 78% |
| #33 | Earlham College Richmond, IN, 47374 | $55,814 | 73% |
| #34 | Tufts University Medford, MA, 02155 | $73,616 | 12% |
| #35 | Purchase College--SUNY Purchase, NY, 10577 | - | 74% |
| #36 | Whittier College Whittier, CA, 90608 | $52,877 | 83% |
| #37 | Notre Dame of Maryland University Baltimore, MD, 21210 | $45,275 | 82% |
| #38 | The University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, TN, 38238 | - | 88% |
| #39 | Texas A&M University College Station, TX, 77843 | - | 57% |
| #40 | Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, IN, 46953 | $33,246 | 89% |
| #41 | West Texas A&M University Canyon, TX, 79016 | - | 77% |
| #42 | Neumann University Aston, PA, 19014 | $40,562 | 81% |
| #43 | University of the Pacific Stockton, CA, 95211 | $58,844 | 71% |
| #44 | Hampton University Hampton, VA, 23668 | $31,512 | 62% |
| #45 | Valley City State University Valley City, ND, 58072 | - | 99% |
| #46 | California State University--Stanislaus Turlock, CA, 95382 | - | 98% |
| #47 | Morehead State University Morehead, KY, 40351 | - | 77% |
| #48 | LeTourneau University Longview, TX, 75607 | $38,290 | 38% |
| #49 | Westminster University Salt Lake City, UT, 84105 | $44,980 | 67% |
| #50 | University of Mount Saint Vincent Riverdale, NY, 10471 | $44,540 | 85% |
| #51 | California State University--Chico Chico, CA, 95929 | - | 92% |
| #52 | University of North Carolina--Pembroke Pembroke, NC, 28372 | - | 93% |
| #53 | Western Washington University Bellingham, WA, 98225 | - | 93% |
| #54 | North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Greensboro, NC, 27411 | - | 51% |
| #55 | Stephen F. Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX, 75965 | - | 74% |
| #56 | Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA, 94928 | - | 93% |
| #57 | Dickinson State University Dickinson, ND, 58601 | - | 37% |
| #58 | Florida A&M University Tallahassee, FL, 32307 | - | 21% |
| #59 | Beloit College Beloit, WI, 53511 | $62,586 | 63% |
| #60 | The University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX, 75241 | - | 84% |
| #61 | Delaware State University Dover, DE, 19901 | - | 47% |
| #62 | Universidad del Sagrado Corazon San Juan, PR, 00914 | $7,330 | 60% |
| #63 | University of Arkansas--Pine Bluff Pine Bluff, AR, 71601 | - | 41% |
| #64 | Alcorn State University Lorman, MS, 39096 | - | 45% |
| #65 | California State University--Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA, 93311 | - | 85% |
| #66 | Bethel University (IN) Mishawaka, IN, 46545 | $35,380 | 98% |
| #67 | Trinity College Hartford, CT, 06106 | $73,590 | 29% |
| #68 | St. Joseph's University, New York Brooklyn, NY, 11205 | $38,510 | 72% |
| #69 | University of North Alabama Florence, AL, 35632 | - | 71% |
| #70 | Morgan State University Baltimore, MD, 21251 | - | 82% |
| #71 | SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY, 10465 | - | 72% |
| #72 | Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO, 63701 | - | 96% |
| #73 | Bethel College North Newton, KS, 67107 | $36,058 | 94% |
| #74 | University of Tennessee Southern Pulaski, TN, 38478 | - | 87% |
| #75 | University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC, 20008 | - | 67% |
| #76 | Pitzer College Claremont, CA, 91711 | $67,792 | 25% |
| #77 | Troy University Troy, AL, 36082 | - | 96% |
| #78 | Rogers State University Claremore, OK, 74017 | - | 67% |
| #79 | Dakota State University Madison, SD, 57042 | - | 88% |
| #80 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL, 61455 | - | 71% |
| #81 | Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT, 06515 | - | 91% |
| #82 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN, 37044 | - | 95% |
| #83 | Doane University Crete, NE, 68333 | $43,641 | 98% |
| #84 | Harris-Stowe State University Louis, MO, 63103 | - | 64% |
| #85 | Emporia State University Emporia, KS, 66801 | - | 98% |
| #86 | Williams Baptist University Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476 | $22,540 | 84% |
| #87 | Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL, 36265 | - | 78% |
| #88 | Florida International University Miami, FL, 33199 | - | 55% |
| #89 | Texas A&M University--San Antonio San Antonio, TX, 78224 | - | 93% |
| #90 | North Greenville University Tigerville, SC, 29688 | $26,720 | 67% |
| #91 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TX, 76909 | - | 83% |
| #92 | Jackson State University Jackson, MS, 39217 | - | 93% |
| #93 | Medgar Evers College--CUNY Brooklyn, NY, 11225 | - | 86% |
| #94 | The College of Wooster Wooster, OH, 44691 | $64,210 | 60% |
| #95 | College of Coastal Georgia Brunswick, GA, 31520 | - | 98% |
| #96 | Keiser University Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33309 | $39,189 | 97% |
| #97 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, 52242 | - | 84% |
| #98 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana Natchitoches, LA, 71497 | - | 92% |
| #99 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC, 28301 | - | 82% |
| #100 | Concord University Athens, WV, 24712 | - | 93% |
This ranking only displays the Top 100 schools. The full ranking includes more institutions not shown here.