Kiplinger's Best College Values

Compare the 200 top values in liberal-arts colleges or private universities, or create your own custom lists of colleges from our rankings or schools from a particular state.

Use the arrows at the top of any column of data to rank any list of colleges by cost and financial-aid measures. For more information on a particular college, click the college's name.

Liberal Arts Colleges

Rank	Name	State	Admit rate	4-yr grad. rate	Total cost per yr.	Avg need- based aid	Avg non-need- based aid	% of non-need- based aid^†	Avg debt at graduation	Salary yardstick^#
2	Swarthmore College, Swarthmore	PA	13%	88%	$67,110	$45,536	$48,720	2%	$22,957	$52,500
13	College of the Holy Cross, Worcester	MA	38	89	65,320	35,521	40,213	2	25,446	65,200
91	Spelman College, Atlanta	GA	36	71	43,642	12,410	35,697	3	38,430	46,800
4	Washington and Lee University, Lexington	VA	24	88	63,880	42,292	34,766	14	26,397	72,300
10	Wesleyan University, Middletown	CT	18	87	68,170	42,457	31,571	1	22,495	49,200
56	Trinity College, Hartford	CT	34	80	69,970	44,812	29,420	6	29,506	58,800
33	Lafayette College, Easton	PA	28	85	67,640	40,285	27,358	12	29,324	67,500
99	Hollins University, Roanoke	VA	60	50	52,005	29,001	26,663	87	34,414	32,200
58	Agnes Scott College, Decatur	GA	65	67	53,065	28,811	26,029	84	34,022	36,500
73	Hendrix College, Conway	AR	77	64	57,096	31,309	25,907	90	30,213	40,600
1	Davidson College, Davidson	NC	20	90	64,903	41,998	25,572	14	20,431	54,600
37	Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley	MA	52	78	62,950	32,773	24,244	37	23,872	46,100
94	Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware	OH	72	62	51,690	30,716	23,369	95	35,221	43,500
42	Principia College, Elsah	IL	91	61	41,350	27,447	23,301	92	21,260	NA
97	Coe College, Cedar Rapids	IA	50	62	52,570	28,610	23,175	64	35,782	44,100
87	Millsaps College, Jackson	MS	59	70	53,530	26,997	22,981	91	31,419	46,300
89	Beloit College, Beloit	WI	70	64	58,142	30,133	22,962	80	28,332	41,500
76	College of Wooster, Wooster	OH	58	71	61,000	31,599	22,828	77	29,650	45,400
38	Rhodes College, Memphis	TN	54	77	58,987	31,002	22,703	88	25,859	49,600
18	University of Richmond, Richmond	VA	32	84	63,830	39,874	22,658	32	27,670	60,700
75	Austin College, Sherman	TX	53	64	52,409	29,091	22,355	95	35,479	48,300
98	Drew University, Madison	NJ	57	57	64,362	36,371	21,987	73	24,964	50,800
59	Lawrence University, Appleton	WI	63	64	57,033	31,617	21,124	87	34,750	41,700
95	Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham	AL	48	53	49,400	7,892	21,098	99	27,776	45,600
92	Willamette University, Salem	OR	78	71	61,008	29,689	21,056	79	29,958	49,100
47	Denison University, Granville	OH	44	79	63,970	34,576	20,710	96	28,833	48,400
19	Centre College, Danville	KY	74	85	52,180	28,880	20,689	91	26,740	44,100
72	Southwestern University, Georgetown	TX	45	66	53,030	28,975	20,622	93	32,801	50,000
71	Furman University, Greenville	SC	68	78	62,328	35,508	20,472	76	36,846	45,900
81	Wabash College, Crawfordsville	IN	63	64	53,100	26,374	19,928	96	37,495	53,600
84	Cornell College, Mount Vernon	IA	71	64	51,329	26,642	19,876	94	31,975	41,200
57	Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo	MI	66	73	57,055	29,998	19,558	84	27,653	47,800
69	Augustana College, Rock Island	IL	52	71	52,222	23,444	19,404	84	33,547	48,500
80	Hanover College, Hanover	IN	57	67	48,950	24,741	19,305	95	29,745	42,500
79	Luther College, Decorah	IA	68	72	51,030	23,960	19,184	77	35,642	43,500
82	St. Lawrence University, Canton	NY	43	81	67,396	34,115	19,174	83	37,919	46,500
70	Knox College, Galesburg	IL	65	69	55,524	31,006	19,121	87	30,638	38,200
74	St. John's College, Annapolis	MD	53	70	64,659	36,355	19,112	90	34,212	34,400
83	Lake Forest College, Lake Forest	IL	57	64	56,600	32,758	18,979	83	30,540	49,000
50	Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington	IL	58	74	57,230	25,892	18,240	93	34,999	55,600
88	Marlboro College, Marlboro	VT	96	59	52,611	30,266	17,937	73	31,747	26,100
93	College of Saint Benedict, Saint Joseph	MN	88	80	55,480	28,598	17,814	83	39,536	50,000
77	William Jewell College, Liberty	MO	51	59	44,060	21,406	17,584	93	31,183	44,200
54	Transylvania University, Lexington	KY	95	71	48,450	24,196	17,513	94	30,514	41,700
43	DePauw University, Greencastle	IN	65	78	61,267	34,859	17,350	91	22,770	50,700
67	Earlham College, Richmond	IN	58	65	56,670	34,097	17,183	42	25,784	34,500
15	Grinnell College, Grinnell	IA	20	81	64,014	39,444	17,026	53	18,780	44,300
26	Kenyon College, Gambier	OH	27	89	67,740	39,897	16,799	21	26,746	44,300
20	Smith College, Northampton	MA	37	86	67,574	41,786	16,473	14	23,857	44,900
85	Saint John's University, Collegeville	MN	88	72	54,472	28,255	16,453	77	40,272	59,100
96	St. John's College, Santa Fe	NM	63	43	64,658	32,455	16,250	100	27,790	29,900
61	Wofford College, Spartanburg	SC	70	78	55,295	30,783	16,243	70	31,102	50,000
35	Claremont McKenna College, Claremont	CA	9	86	70,245	42,445	15,744	10	23,375	75,000
68	Lewis & Clark College, Portland	OR	55	74	62,034	31,828	15,538	72	29,913	43,600
90	Goshen College, Goshen	IN	68	56	44,600	21,784	15,430	66	27,534	37,000
65	Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville	NY	50	76	69,466	34,799	15,178	46	19,772	39,900
63	Houghton College, Houghton	NY	75	64	41,558	19,457	15,099	79	23,277	39,900
100	Wheaton College, Norton	MA	62	76	64,758	30,737	15,097	75	33,280	46,700
78	University of Dallas, Irving	TX	64	66	51,826	26,016	14,967	98	32,921	44,500
34	St. Olaf College, Northfield	MN	45	85	57,430	30,463	14,942	61	27,945	47,300
24	Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr	PA	40	78	67,410	40,315	14,533	35	23,081	53,100
53	Oberlin College, Oberlin	OH	28	72	69,208	37,059	14,434	77	27,114	40,200
36	Macalester College, St. Paul	MN	37	84	65,259	37,392	13,752	36	23,875	45,300
16	Colorado College, Colorado Springs	CO	16	82	66,124	42,451	13,573	10	20,742	41,900
86	College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor	ME	65	48	53,889	35,189	13,444	51	26,723	24,300
14	Hillsdale College, Hillsdale	MI	45	73	38,552	7,275	13,159	92	26,941	NA
62	Muhlenberg College, Allentown	PA	48	81	63,550	29,760	12,817	72	31,063	55,300
48	Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs	NY	29	85	67,900	40,300	12,800	1	25,001	47,100
51	Gettysburg College, Gettysburg	PA	43	84	65,710	34,208	12,279	43	31,169	53,400
41	Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee	TN	44	79	59,200	27,341	12,275	65	24,431	40,600
32	Harvey Mudd College, Claremont	CA	13	85	73,278	39,799	11,822	41	25,412	74,200
40	Bucknell University, Lewisburg	PA	30	84	68,036	28,900	11,817	18	22,600	66,200
44	Scripps College, Claremont	CA	30	80	70,060	37,361	10,993	5	20,205	49,700
46	Dickinson College, Carlisle	PA	43	81	67,361	37,817	10,918	36	26,908	54,800
60	Occidental College, Los Angeles	CA	46	76	69,036	39,279	10,553	27	29,940	49,700
52	Union College, Schenectady	NY	37	81	68,109	36,748	10,544	58	33,045	63,200
39	Christendom College, Front Royal	VA	87	89	36,256	12,511	10,452	42	27,005	NA
25	Whitman College, Walla Walla	WA	51	83	63,704	32,952	10,314	53	18,089	46,600
28	Colby College, Waterville	ME	19	84	67,515	43,906	9,595	3	27,953	55,000
64	Hope College, Holland	MI	84	68	43,760	19,244	8,527	57	33,969	43,500
45	Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster	PA	36	84	69,360	42,719	6,820	3	27,133	53,600
27	Wheaton College, Wheaton	IL	79	82	45,796	20,622	6,343	46	27,354	45,200
29	Pitzer College, Claremont	CA	14	83	69,500	40,447	6,187	2	21,569	47,100
3	Pomona College, Claremont	CA	9	92	68,125	46,039	5,000	0^‡	18,738	56,600
21	Middlebury College, Middlebury	VT	16	85	68,464	45,035	5,000	0^‡	18,736	55,600
22	Carleton College, Northfield	MN	23	88	67,237	38,382	4,584	11	22,641	52,600
12	Bowdoin College, Brunswick	ME	15	89	66,820	42,206	1,000	4	23,120	58,700
7	Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula	CA	75	76	32,500	14,225	0	0	16,986	40,100
30	Bates College, Lewiston	ME	23	84	67,620	41,478	0	0	22,845	55,700
6	Williams College, Williamstown	MA	18	86	68,500	48,885	0	0	15,496	54,100
31	Colgate University, Hamilton	NY	29	85	68,540	45,724	0	0	21,427	61,300
5	Wellesley College, Wellesley	MA	29	86	67,784	45,178	0	0	13,415	60,100
8	Vassar College, Poughkeepsie	NY	27	87	69,010	47,176	0	0	18,462	51,400
66	Reed College, Portland	OR	31	66	68,920	39,915	0	0	19,627	37,900
9	Amherst College, Amherst	MA	14	86	69,500	50,380	0	0	18,662	59,700
11	Hamilton College, Clinton	NY	26	89	67,170	41,825	0	0	21,491	59,400
23	Barnard College, New York	NY	17	83	69,912	43,183	0	0	22,015	56,400
17	Haverford College, Haverford	PA	21	86	71,614	46,009	0	0	13,000	56,300
49	Berea College, Berea	KY	33	48	7,234*	4,949	0	0	7,062	31,800
55	Connecticut College, New London	CT	35	81	68,440	37,745	0	0	27,514	53,400

Cost Data - through November 17, 2017
# - Based on the median earnings of workers who started at a particular college 10 years earlier and who received federal financial aid. The data don't consider whether the student graduated or went on to graduate school.
† - Percentage of all undergraduates without need who received non-need-based aid.
‡ - Number of students who received non-need-based aid is less than 0.5%.
NA - Not available.
* All students admitted receive a 4-year tuition scholarship of $25,200 for the 2017-18 academic year.

SOURCES - Peterson's Databases (© 2018 Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.), U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

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Tool December 2017

Kiplinger's Best College Values

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Liberal Arts Colleges

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