Advertisement 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. SEE ALSO: College Finder Map| SPECIAL REPORT: Kiplinger's College Rankings| How We Rank the Best College Values| FAQs on Our Rankings of Best College Values Select category: Private UniversitiesLiberal Arts CollegesPublic CollegesAll Colleges 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 Salaryyardstick# 2Swarthmore College, SwarthmorePA13%88%$67,110$45,536$48,7202%$22,957$52,500 13College of the Holy Cross, WorcesterMA388965,32035,52140,213225,44665,200 91Spelman College, AtlantaGA367143,64212,41035,697338,43046,800 4Washington and Lee University, LexingtonVA248863,88042,29234,7661426,39772,300 10Wesleyan University, MiddletownCT188768,17042,45731,571122,49549,200 56Trinity College, HartfordCT348069,97044,81229,420629,50658,800 33Lafayette College, EastonPA288567,64040,28527,3581229,32467,500 99Hollins University, RoanokeVA605052,00529,00126,6638734,41432,200 58Agnes Scott College, DecaturGA656753,06528,81126,0298434,02236,500 73Hendrix College, ConwayAR776457,09631,30925,9079030,21340,600 1Davidson College, DavidsonNC209064,90341,99825,5721420,43154,600 37Mount Holyoke College, South HadleyMA527862,95032,77324,2443723,87246,100 94Ohio Wesleyan University, DelawareOH726251,69030,71623,3699535,22143,500 42Principia College, ElsahIL916141,35027,44723,3019221,260NA 97Coe College, Cedar RapidsIA506252,57028,61023,1756435,78244,100 87Millsaps College, JacksonMS597053,53026,99722,9819131,41946,300 89Beloit College, BeloitWI706458,14230,13322,9628028,33241,500 76College of Wooster, WoosterOH587161,00031,59922,8287729,65045,400 38Rhodes College, MemphisTN547758,98731,00222,7038825,85949,600 18University of Richmond, RichmondVA328463,83039,87422,6583227,67060,700 75Austin College, ShermanTX536452,40929,09122,3559535,47948,300 98Drew University, MadisonNJ575764,36236,37121,9877324,96450,800 59Lawrence University, AppletonWI636457,03331,61721,1248734,75041,700 95Birmingham-Southern College, BirminghamAL485349,4007,89221,0989927,77645,600 92Willamette University, SalemOR787161,00829,68921,0567929,95849,100 47Denison University, GranvilleOH447963,97034,57620,7109628,83348,400 19Centre College, DanvilleKY748552,18028,88020,6899126,74044,100 72Southwestern University, GeorgetownTX456653,03028,97520,6229332,80150,000 71Furman University, GreenvilleSC687862,32835,50820,4727636,84645,900 81Wabash College, CrawfordsvilleIN636453,10026,37419,9289637,49553,600 84Cornell College, Mount VernonIA716451,32926,64219,8769431,97541,200 57Kalamazoo College, KalamazooMI667357,05529,99819,5588427,65347,800 69Augustana College, Rock IslandIL527152,22223,44419,4048433,54748,500 80Hanover College, HanoverIN576748,95024,74119,3059529,74542,500 79Luther College, DecorahIA687251,03023,96019,1847735,64243,500 82St. Lawrence University, CantonNY438167,39634,11519,1748337,91946,500 70Knox College, GalesburgIL656955,52431,00619,1218730,63838,200 74St. John's College, AnnapolisMD537064,65936,35519,1129034,21234,400 83Lake Forest College, Lake ForestIL576456,60032,75818,9798330,54049,000 50Illinois Wesleyan University, BloomingtonIL587457,23025,89218,2409334,99955,600 88Marlboro College, MarlboroVT965952,61130,26617,9377331,74726,100 93College of Saint Benedict, Saint JosephMN888055,48028,59817,8148339,53650,000 77William Jewell College, LibertyMO515944,06021,40617,5849331,18344,200 54Transylvania University, LexingtonKY957148,45024,19617,5139430,51441,700 43DePauw University, GreencastleIN657861,26734,85917,3509122,77050,700 67Earlham College, RichmondIN586556,67034,09717,1834225,78434,500 15Grinnell College, GrinnellIA208164,01439,44417,0265318,78044,300 26Kenyon College, GambierOH278967,74039,89716,7992126,74644,300 20Smith College, NorthamptonMA378667,57441,78616,4731423,85744,900 85Saint John's University, CollegevilleMN887254,47228,25516,4537740,27259,100 96St. John's College, Santa FeNM634364,65832,45516,25010027,79029,900 61Wofford College, SpartanburgSC707855,29530,78316,2437031,10250,000 35Claremont McKenna College, ClaremontCA98670,24542,44515,7441023,37575,000 68Lewis & Clark College, PortlandOR557462,03431,82815,5387229,91343,600 90Goshen College, GoshenIN685644,60021,78415,4306627,53437,000 65Sarah Lawrence College, BronxvilleNY507669,46634,79915,1784619,77239,900 63Houghton College, HoughtonNY756441,55819,45715,0997923,27739,900 100Wheaton College, NortonMA627664,75830,73715,0977533,28046,700 78University of Dallas, IrvingTX646651,82626,01614,9679832,92144,500 34St. Olaf College, NorthfieldMN458557,43030,46314,9426127,94547,300 24Bryn Mawr College, Bryn MawrPA407867,41040,31514,5333523,08153,100 53Oberlin College, OberlinOH287269,20837,05914,4347727,11440,200 36Macalester College, St. PaulMN378465,25937,39213,7523623,87545,300 16Colorado College, Colorado SpringsCO168266,12442,45113,5731020,74241,900 86College of the Atlantic, Bar HarborME654853,88935,18913,4445126,72324,300 14Hillsdale College, HillsdaleMI457338,5527,27513,1599226,941NA 62Muhlenberg College, AllentownPA488163,55029,76012,8177231,06355,300 48Skidmore College, Saratoga SpringsNY298567,90040,30012,800125,00147,100 51Gettysburg College, GettysburgPA438465,71034,20812,2794331,16953,400 41Sewanee: The University of the South, SewaneeTN447959,20027,34112,2756524,43140,600 32Harvey Mudd College, ClaremontCA138573,27839,79911,8224125,41274,200 40Bucknell University, LewisburgPA308468,03628,90011,8171822,60066,200 44Scripps College, ClaremontCA308070,06037,36110,993520,20549,700 46Dickinson College, CarlislePA438167,36137,81710,9183626,90854,800 60Occidental College, Los AngelesCA467669,03639,27910,5532729,94049,700 52Union College, SchenectadyNY378168,10936,74810,5445833,04563,200 39Christendom College, Front RoyalVA878936,25612,51110,4524227,005NA 25Whitman College, Walla WallaWA518363,70432,95210,3145318,08946,600 28Colby College, WatervilleME198467,51543,9069,595327,95355,000 64Hope College, HollandMI846843,76019,2448,5275733,96943,500 45Franklin & Marshall College, LancasterPA368469,36042,7196,820327,13353,600 27Wheaton College, WheatonIL798245,79620,6226,3434627,35445,200 29Pitzer College, ClaremontCA148369,50040,4476,187221,56947,100 3Pomona College, ClaremontCA99268,12546,0395,0000‡18,73856,600 21Middlebury College, MiddleburyVT168568,46445,0355,0000‡18,73655,600 22Carleton College, NorthfieldMN238867,23738,3824,5841122,64152,600 12Bowdoin College, BrunswickME158966,82042,2061,000423,12058,700 7Thomas Aquinas College, Santa PaulaCA757632,50014,2250016,98640,100 30Bates College, LewistonME238467,62041,4780022,84555,700 6Williams College, WilliamstownMA188668,50048,8850015,49654,100 31Colgate University, HamiltonNY298568,54045,7240021,42761,300 5Wellesley College, WellesleyMA298667,78445,1780013,41560,100 8Vassar College, PoughkeepsieNY278769,01047,1760018,46251,400 66Reed College, PortlandOR316668,92039,9150019,62737,900 9Amherst College, AmherstMA148669,50050,3800018,66259,700 11Hamilton College, ClintonNY268967,17041,8250021,49159,400 23Barnard College, New YorkNY178369,91243,1830022,01556,400 17Haverford College, HaverfordPA218671,61446,0090013,00056,300 49Berea College, BereaKY33487,234*4,949007,06231,800 55Connecticut College, New LondonCT358168,44037,7450027,51453,400 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. Licensing Options Logo Licensing Reprints/E-Prints Products/Plaques