Washington Monthly - September/October 2014 - 21

TOP 30

Liberal Learning
Our liberal arts college ranking also reveals institutions
that excel in surprising ways. Bryn Mawr comes in first
for the third consecutive year. While expensive, it combines a strong commitment to service with a research
focus unusual for liberal arts colleges. Historically, women's colleges have always done well in our rankings, reflecting their continued focus on justice, scholarship,
and the public good.
Berea College stands out for its one-of-a-kind notuition policy, selective admissions, and mission to
serve first-generation low-income students in Appalachia. Traditional liberal arts leader Amherst College has
increased its commitment to enrolling and graduating
low-income students in recent years, while using its ample endowment to keep prices manageable. Number two
Carleton College in Minnesota sends more students on
to the Peace Corps and PhD programs, combined, than
any other liberal arts college in America.
Several historically black colleges also do well on
the liberal arts ranking. Nearly 90 percent of students
attending Tougaloo College, located north of Jackson,
Mississippi, are from low-income families. Its 46 percent graduation rate well exceeds that of demographically similar schools. And because Tougaloo's average net
price is under $9,000, only a third of students have to
take out student loans to attend, far below the national average.

Succeeding Broadly
When we first started ranking colleges, we stuck to the
research universities and liberal arts colleges that often recruit nationwide. But that leaves out hundreds of
less selective regional colleges and universities with academic missions that are broader than liberal arts schools
and graduate programs that focus more on professional
training than scientific research. By ranking these socalled master's and baccalaureate institutions, we found
more examples of colleges that stand out in their contributions to the public welfare.
Like last year, two historically black institutions-
Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina and
Tuskegee University in Alabama-rank first and second
among all baccalaureate institutions, each serving a majority of low-income students and graduating far more
than expected. ECSU is also extraordinarily inexpensive.
Remarkably, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina
moved earlier this year to shut Elizabeth City down, on
the grounds that it is "unprofitable." While the proposal
failed after outcry from alumni and others, the fact that
the idea was even raised shows the importance of ranking colleges based on the value they provide.

LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES
RANK IN U.S.
NEWS (2014)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.

BRYN MAWR COLLEGE (PA)
30
Carleton College (MN)
7
Berea College (KY)
76
Swarthmore College (PA)
3
Harvey Mudd College (CA)
16
Reed College (OR)
74
Macalester College (MN)
24
New College of Florida (FL)*
89
Williams College (MA)
1
Oberlin College (OH)
25
Haverford College (PA)
9
Pomona College (CA)
4
Knox College (IL)
82
Wellesley College (MA)
7
Rhodes College (TN)
54
Wesleyan University (CT)
17
Grinnell College (IA)
17
Amherst College (MA)
2
Michigan Jewish Institute (MI)
School not listed
Smith College (MA)
20
Tougaloo College (MS)
Rank not published
Davidson College (NC)
9
St. John's College (MD)
123
Claflin University (SC)
Rank not published
Allegheny College (PA)
82
Vassar College (NY)
13
Kalamazoo College (MI)
61
Xavier University of Louisiana (LA)
161
Whitman College (WA)
41
Bates College (ME)
22

Among master's institutions, the State University of
New York at Geneseo provides an inexpensive liberal arts education that's a fraction of the price of other schools in the
Northeast. Trinity University in Texas serves a diverse student body and sends more undergrads on to PhDs than any
other college in its category. Evergreen State College could
have rested on its laurels after producing the titanic feminist
punk band Sleater-Kinney in the 1990s, but it continues to
enroll an economically varied student population and ranks
number fourteen on our list.
Washington Monthly

Washington Monthly - September/October 2014

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