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Best Liberal Arts Colleges

US News 2026 LAC rankings. Small, undergrad-only colleges with high PhD-feeder rates.

Top entries are curated; the rest are auto-extended by selectivity.

#SchoolLocation Accept SAT mid-50% ACT mid-50% Undergrads Avg Class Size Type
#1 Williams Williamstown, Massachusetts 8.5% 1450-1560 33-35 2,100 ~13 est. private View
#2 Amherst Amherst, Massachusetts 9.0% 1450-1560 33-35 1,900 ~15 est. private View
#3 Swarthmore Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 7.2% 1430-1550 33-35 1,700 ~18 est. private View
#4 Pomona Claremont, California 7.5% 1460-1560 33-35 1,700 ~15 est. private View
#5 Wellesley Wellesley, Massachusetts 13.0% 1410-1540 32-34 2,400 ~15 est. private View
#6 Bowdoin Brunswick, Maine 7.5% 1440-1530 32-34 1,900 ~20 est. private View
#7 Carleton Northfield, Minnesota 17.0% 1410-1540 32-34 2,000 ~20 est. private View
#8 Claremont McKenna Claremont, California 9.0% 1430-1530 32-34 1,400 ~18 est. private View
#9 Davidson Davidson, North Carolina 15.0% 1380-1500 31-34 1,900 ~20 est. private View
#10 Middlebury Middlebury, Vermont 13.0% 1400-1520 32-34 2,700 ~18 est. private View
#11 Smith Northampton, Massachusetts 23.0% 1380-1500 31-33 2,500 ~15 est. private View
#12 Vassar Poughkeepsie, New York 17.0% 1410-1530 32-34 2,400 ~18 est. private View
#13 Hamilton Clinton, New York 11.5% 1410-1530 32-34 2,000 ~20 est. private View
#14 Colgate Hamilton, New York 11.0% 1390-1500 31-33 3,200 ~20 est. private View
#15 Colby Waterville, Maine 8.0% 1410-1530 32-34 2,200 ~22 est. private View
#16 Bates Lewiston, Maine 14.0% 1370-1490 31-33 1,900 ~22 est. private View
#17 Grinnell Grinnell, Iowa 9.0% 1430-1540 32-34 1,700 ~20 est. private View
#18 Mount Holyoke South Hadley, Massachusetts 38.0% 1300-1450 29-33 2,200 ~20 est. private View
#19 Bryn Mawr Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 30.0% 1340-1480 30-34 1,400 ~15 est. private View
#20 Wesleyan Middletown, Connecticut 14.0% 1410-1530 32-34 3,100 ~18 est. private View
#21 Haverford Haverford, Pennsylvania 14.0% 1410-1530 32-34 1,400 ~18 est. private View
#22 Oberlin Oberlin, Ohio 30.0% 1340-1490 30-33 2,900 ~20 est. private View
#23 Kenyon Gambier, Ohio 27.0% 1350-1480 30-33 1,700 ~20 est. private View
#24 Macalester Saint Paul, Minnesota 26.0% 1370-1490 31-33 2,200 ~22 est. private View
#25 Harvey Mudd Claremont, California 8.0% 1490-1570 33-35 900 ~18 est. private View
#26 Barnard New York, New York 8.0% 1430-1540 31-34 2,700 ~24 est. private View
#27 Scripps Claremont, California 25.0% 1370-1510 31-34 1,100 ~24 est. private View
#28 Pitzer Claremont, California 15.0% 1340-1480 31-33 1,200 ~26 est. private View
#29 Trinity College Hartford, Connecticut 38.0% 1300-1430 29-32 2,200 ~20 est. private View
#30 Reed Portland, Oregon 27.0% 1390-1530 31-34 1,500 ~20 est. private View
#31 Skidmore Saratoga Springs, New York 26.0% 1280-1430 28-32 2,700 ~20 est. private View
#32 Whitman Walla Walla, Washington 45.0% 1290-1450 29-33 1,500 ~20 est. private View
#33 Connecticut College New London, Connecticut 31.0% 1280-1410 28-32 1,800 ~20 est. private View
#34 Occidental Los Angeles, California 26.0% 1340-1480 29-33 2,000 ~22 est. private View
#35 Caltech Pasadena, California 2.7% 1530-1580 35-36 1,000 ~8 est. private View
#36 Juilliard New York, New York 8.0% 1100-1400 21-31 600 ~9 est. private View
#37 Cooper Union New York, New York 11.0% 1340-1500 30-34 900 ~15 est. private View
#38 Colorado College Colorado 14.0% 1340-1490 31-34 2,100 ~20 est. private View
#39 Olin College Needham, Massachusetts 18.0% 1480-1560 33-35 400 ~15 est. private View
#40 Washington and Lee Virginia 18.0% 1390-1510 31-34 1,900 ~20 est. private View
#41 Babson Wellesley, Massachusetts 18.0% 1280-1430 29-32 2,500 ~29 est. private View
#42 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, Rhode Island 18.0% 1290-1470 28-33 2,000 ~20 est. private View
#43 Holy Cross Massachusetts 22.0% 1340-1490 31-33 3,100 ~24 est. private View
#44 University of Richmond Virginia 27.0% 1340-1480 30-33 3,300 ~24 est. private View
#45 Franklin and Marshall College Pennsylvania 28.2% 1330-1430 30-33 2,500 ~20 est. private View
#46 Lafayette Pennsylvania 30.0% 1350-1490 30-33 2,700 ~20 est. private View
#47 Trinity University Texas 30.0% 1290-1450 29-33 2,500 ~20 est. private View
#48 Bucknell Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 33.0% 1300-1450 29-33 3,700 ~20 est. private View
#49 Brandeis Waltham, Massachusetts 39.0% 1380-1510 30-34 3,700 ~22 est. private View
#50 Bard New York 42.0% 1280-1450 29-33 2,000 ~20 est. private View
#51 Rhodes Tennessee 43.0% 1240-1410 28-32 2,000 ~20 est. private View
#52 Gettysburg Pennsylvania 50.0% 1230-1380 28-32 2,400 ~20 est. private View
#53 Dickinson Pennsylvania 52.0% 1240-1390 28-32 2,100 ~20 est. private View
#54 Denison University Ohio 65.0% 1340-1480 30-33 2,200 ~20 est. private View
#55 The College of Wooster Ohio 65.0% 1250-1420 27-33 2,200 ~20 est. private View
#56 Lewis & Clark College Oregon 78.5% 1150-1330 24-30 2,500 ~20 est. private View
#57 Hampton Virginia 36.0% 980-1170 18-24 3,500 ~24 est. private View
#58 University of Tulsa Oklahoma 39.0% 1190-1410 25-32 2,700 ~20 est. private View
#59 Spelman Atlanta, Georgia 43.0% 1130-1280 22-27 2,200 ~24 est. private View
#60 Southwestern University Texas 43.0% 1150-1330 24-30 2,200 ~20 est. private View
#61 Rollins College Florida 47.5% 1210-1340 25-30 2,200 ~20 est. private View
#62 St. Olaf Minnesota 50.0% 1240-1410 27-32 3,000 ~24 est. private View
#63 Tuskegee Tuskegee, Alabama 52.0% 960-1130 18-22 3,000 ~29 est. private View
#64 Yeshiva New York 55.0% 1180-1410 25-31 2,700 ~20 est. private View
#65 Sarah Lawrence New York 55.0% 1280-1450 28-32 1,600 ~20 est. private View
#66 Morehouse Atlanta, Georgia 58.0% 1010-1230 19-24 2,200 ~29 est. private View
#67 Gustavus Adolphus College Minnesota 61.0% 1150-1330 24-30 2,200 ~20 est. private View
#68 Furman South Carolina 62.0% 1230-1390 28-32 2,700 ~20 est. private View
#69 Wofford South Carolina 62.0% 1190-1370 26-31 1,700 ~20 est. private View
#70 Lawrence Wisconsin 62.0% 1280-1430 28-32 1,500 ~20 est. private View
#71 Illinois Tech Illinois 62.0% 1240-1430 27-32 3,000 ~24 est. private View
#72 Agnes Scott College Georgia 62.2% 1160-1340 25-31 2,200 ~20 est. private View
#73 Bennington Vermont 65.0% 1240-1430 28-32 700 ~20 est. private View
#74 Knox Illinois 65.0% 1170-1380 25-31 1,100 ~20 est. private View
#75 Lake Forest College Illinois 65.0% 1230-1400 28-32 2,200 ~20 est. private View
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