50 Best Values in Liberal Arts Colleges 2009-10

Survey methodology and definitions

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Liberal Arts Colleges
  Quality Measures Financial Measures Other
RankNameStateUndergrad.
Enroll.
Admission
Rate
High scorers on SAT (V/M) or ACTStudents per Faculty4-Year
Grad. Rate
5-Year
Grad. Rate
Total
Costs
Cost After Need-
Based Aid
% of Aid From
Grants
Cost After Non-
Need-Based Aid
% of Non-Need-
Based Aid**
Average DebtTuition CostRoom & Board CostAvg. Financial AidFreshman Retention Rate% of Male Students% of Female Students% of SAT Verbal 700-800% of SAT Math 700-800% of ACT    30-36 
2Swarthmore College, SwarthmorePA1,49016%96%/91%888%91%$50,750$19,03596%$14,5962N/A$37,510$11,740$33,19396.4%48%52%65%59%66%
42College of Saint Benedict, St. JosephMN2,11075%74%1280%84%$39,171$23,51674%$29,01385N/A$29,388$8,358$21,15690%N/A100%15%17%15%
3Williams College, WilliamstownMA1,99717%93%/91%791%95%$50,680$14,30596%$50,6800$9,214$39,250$10,390$37,85797%50%50%64%60%69%
5Claremont McKenna College, ClaremontCA1,21222%92%/91%890%94%$51,380$19,22998%$40,25713$10,518$38,275$11,655$32,80097%54%46%52%55%N/A
1Pomona College, ClaremontCA1,53216%95%/96%890%94%$50,568$16,45495%$50,5680$11,300$36,710$12,651$35,81797%50%50%76%74%80%
6Amherst College, AmherstMA1,69715%94%/91%885%93%$49,678$13,90796%$49,6780$12,603$38,250$10,150$37,07896%49%51%63%60%72%
17Wellesley College, WellesleyMA2,34436%91%/87%884%90%$50,594$18,21996%$50,5940$12,639$37,826$11,732$33,84394%3%97%48%44%59%
34Scripps College, ClaremontCA95443%90%/82%1080%82%$51,350$22,48589%$34,09616$13,207$38,486$11,850$32,39095%N/A100%43%33%55%
50Thomas Aquinas College, Santa PaulaCA34064%80%/53%1167%69%$30,250$18,07072%$30,2500$14,000$22,400$7,400$16,88285%48%52%37%3%19%
37Denison University, GranvilleOH2,20038%69%/65%1077%81%$46,140$18,82391%$32,06086$14,657$35,650$8,930$30,09988%44%56%22%17%26%
28Barnard College, New YorkNY2,35928%90%/82%982%88%$52,115$20,91890%$52,1150$15,084$37,051$12,319$34,52795%N/A100%47%28%56%
45Hillsdale College, HillsdaleMI1,37864%86%1070%75%$28,470$19,97057%$20,72039$16,000$27,670N/A$15,00088%48%52%40%18%31%
26Colorado College, Colorado SpringsCO1,99626%85%/81%1078%86%$48,156$20,45894%$33,77013$16,041$37,278$9,624$29,41290%46%54%29%27%50%
20Whitman College, Walla WallaWA1,48949%86%/82%1080%85%$45,412$21,94982%$37,45948$16,684$34,880$8,820$28,77394%44%56%39%32%53%
8College of the Holy Cross, WorcesterMA2,89834%72%/77%1092%94%$50,042$24,41888%$27,4428$16,800$38,180$10,620$29,16695%44%56%18%21%N/A
12Haverford College, HaverfordPA1,16927%90%/88%891%94%$52,359$21,83896%$52,3590$17,125$38,735$11,890$31,70196%47%53%52%51%N/A
25Macalester College, St. PaulMN1,90041%87%/87%1084%87%$47,866$22,49083%$42,55113$17,304$37,974$8,768$30,39492%42%58%44%35%61%
10Bowdoin College, BrunswickME1,72319%93%/90%984%90%$51,700$19,90996%$50,7007$17,560$39,605$10,880$33,13997%49%51%54%51%69%
35Oberlin College, OberlinOH2,83933%89%/84%969%82%$50,106$23,19486%$39,61330$17,579$38,012$9,870$31,25794%45%55%54%34%53%
29Centre College, DanvilleKY1,19763%92%1181%83%$40,200$20,60886%$27,74087$17,600$31,200$7,800$22,85891%46%54%25%15%29%
31Wofford College, SpartanburgSC1,38959%59%/64%1179%82%$39,810$15,85487%$26,97445$17,831$30,280$8,480$27,41791%52%48%13%16%6%
32Lafayette College, EastonPA2,38237%66%/80%1186%88%$51,289$30,53591%$38,32514$17,995$37,520$11,799$22,88894%54%46%12%24%20%
14Hamilton College, ClintonNY1,87228%92%/93%1086%91%$51,160$23,81383%$36,7094$18,259$39,370$10,100$33,03796%48%52%44%44%N/A
27Bucknell University, LewisburgPA3,58330%76%/89%1185%89%$51,200$30,00083%$38,5846$18,500$40,594$9,504$25,40095%47%53%19%36%42%
49Muhlenberg College, AllentownPA2,49237%55%/61%1278%82%$46,830$27,23288%$34,51840$18,542$36,730$8,440$22,29492%41%59%10%12%16%
15Bates College, LewistonME1,77629%86%/87%1085%89%$50,500$20,40791%$50,5000$18,785$49,350N/A$32,95596%46%54%36%33%N/A
9Colby College, WatervilleME1,84631%90%/92%1084%90%$51,020$20,21497%$28,6200$19,222$50,320N/A$31,62796%46%54%39%38%52%
21Kenyon College, GambierOH1,64431%88%/83%1085%88%$50,640$23,67189%$38,86141$19,462$39,810$7,260$30,18194%47%53%39%26%54%
19Grinnell College, GrinnellIA1,67843%80%/84%981%85%$45,912$19,99184%$35,20361$19,526$35,976$8,536$30,75194%47%53%43%32%63%
18Vassar College, PoughkeepsieNY2,38925%95%/95%887%91%$52,330$21,63188%$52,3300$19,910$41,335$9,540$34,79096%42%58%57%43%72%
11Middlebury College, MiddleburyVT2,45517%84%/88%988%93%$51,380$22,07289%$51,3800$19,981$50,780N/A$32,89695%49%51%49%48%66%
13Carleton College, NorthfieldMN2,00027%92%/91%990%93%$50,933$24,54282%$47,53817$20,083$39,546$10,428$32,13295%48%52%56%53%68%
23Colgate University, HamiltonNY2,83624%84%/87%1087%91%$51,890$19,95190%$51,8900$20,164$40,690$9,970$35,59294%48%52%39%46%62%
38Trinity College, HartfordCT2,38842%73%/76%1081%85%$52,400$19,58094%$26,4283$20,241$38,900$10,560$35,00291%49%51%26%31%26%
36DePauw University, GreencastleIN2,29865%53%/63%1083%85%$42,640$20,21587%$28,63895$20,729$32,800$8,740$25,91088.4%43%57%13%18%24%
48Smith College, NorthamptonMA2,59652%75%/59%983%86%$51,180$21,77786%$45,06717$20,960$37,510$12,622$34,37090%N/A100%32%17%29%
33Occidental College, Los AngelesCA1,84639%74%/77%982%86%$50,756$23,52479%$42,20345$21,001$37,970$10,780$34,43194%44%56%26%20%51%
24Harvey Mudd College, ClaremontCA73836%96%/100%983%89%$51,937$25,56086%$41,49756$21,018$38,222$12,570$30,61895%64%36%65%94%100%
43Connecticut College, New LondonCT1,84537%79%/79%983%87%$52,115$22,86894%$52,1150$21,283$42,120$8,780$31,09990%40%60%28%21%19%
22Wheaton College, WheatonIL2,36662%80%/80%1279%84%$35,090$20,60068%$30,05234$21,549$26,520$7,770$21,18596%50%50%30%25%46%
47Knox College, GalesburgIL1,37966%95%1264%73%$39,975$21,64973%$29,72579$22,749$31,575$7,164$25,06088%42%58%26%13%37%
7Washington and Lee University, LexingtonVA1,75217%97%/97%889%90%$50,352$21,96886%$25,03614$23,616$37,990$9,825$32,97794%50%50%49%53%58%
39Furman University, GreenvilleSC2,80157%73%/72%1180%85%$46,456$24,49986%$31,72444$24,325$36,296$9,000$25,63892.3%43%57%20%18%31%
4Davidson College, DavidsonNC1,66826%88%/90%1092%94%$46,030$25,52695%$29,43320$25,025$34,776$9,906$21,50696%49%51%40%41%61%
30St. Olaf College, NorthfieldMN3,07359%92%1383%86%$44,700$24,71973%$36,73784$25,273$35,500$8,200$27,40191.7%45%55%29%30%43%
40Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint PeterMN2,57875%80%1379%80%$40,610$22,47671%$31,82199$25,672$31,460$7,900$25,53191%43%57%N/A19%17%
46Beloit College, BeloitWI1,38863%84%1174%78%$40,848$21,01781%$28,43160$26,014$33,188$6,830$24,60189%43%57%26%22%24%
41Rhodes College, MemphisTN1,66450%92%1069%73%$41,308$22,47565%$28,79570$26,064$32,136$7,842$29,14485%42%58%20%19%31%
44Illinois Wesleyan Univ., BloomingtonIL2,12552%91%1178%83%$42,538$25,52268%$31,58182$26,555$33,808$7,776$25,00690%41%59%21%33%32%
16Wesleyan University, MiddletownCT2,77227%87%/90%989%93%$54,097$26,33987%$7,1425$27,402$39,822$11,040$32,00295%51%49%51%54%78%

N/A not available.
* Percentage of 2008-09 freshman class that scored 600 or higher on verbal/math SATs or 24 or higher on ACT.
** Percentage of all undergraduates without need who received non-need-based aid.
Source: Peterson's Undergraduate Database. Copyright © 2009 Peterson's/Nelnet LLC. All rights reserved.