Swarthmore is a private liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia. While it has under 2,000 undergrads, it is part of two consortiums that can make it feel larger: the Tri-College and the Quaker Consortium. These consortiums allow Swarthmore students to take classes at Bryn Mawr College, Haverford, and the University of Pennsylvania. While the school is in the Quaker Consortium and was originally a Quaker school, it is no longer religious. Last year, their acceptance rate was around 6.8%.

Wake Forest is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. If you are looking for a mid-sized liberal arts-forward education in the south, Wake Forest is probably already on your list. We have written about Wake Forest in the past, but they have recently become more competitive. In 2021, they had about a 30% acceptance rate. Last year, they had a 20% acceptance rate.

William Marsh Rice University, usually just called Rice, is a private research university in Houston’s Historic Museum District. Rice is most famous for its science and math programs but offers over 140 degrees. With only about 8,500 undergrads, some Texans would call Rice a “small school,” well, compared to the nearby University of Houston and Texas A&M.

Johns Hopkins University is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s actually the first research university in America. As you might guess, research is a pretty big deal there. They are especially known for their Biomedical engineering and public health majors. The school is also popular with Pre-meds. In the past, their acceptance rate has been around 8%; however, they did not release their acceptance rate for the class of 2026.

Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts is an all-women’s liberal arts college that is deeply beloved, academically rigorous, and highly-respected. Smith is grounded in a few things: long-held (and often quirky) traditions, a commitment to the liberal arts, and an occasionally contradictory prioritization of independent and personalized educational journeys. Smith is built on intellectual freedom and exploration, and the liberal arts curriculum is nearly completely open. All students have access to every subject, and there is only one required course outside of your major: a writing intensive. They emphasize the practical application of what you learn, and students have access to research opportunities, internships, and even employment. The acceptance rate is 19%.

Colby is more than a delicious cheese. It’s also a premiere liberal arts school located in Waterville, Maine, where students have been “daring northward” since its founding in 1813. Known for its access to the great outdoors, its prestigious teaching museum, and its innovative 4-1-4 program which sandwiches an intensive academic exploration called “Jan Plan” between the fall and spring semesters, Colby is a small college of the highest caliber…

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It’s a local school with a global perspective and impact. In 2022, new students arrived on campus from 86 countries, and yet 40% of the 4,440-strong incoming class hailed from rural counties. UNC also has a massive national impact, and is consistently ranked as one of the best public universities in the country while also having an iconic athletic tradition. Nearly half of all students ranked among the top 10 students in their graduating high school class. The overall acceptance rate is 16.8%, and the acceptance rate for North Carolina residents is 43.1%.

Bucknell pushes boundaries. Bucknell University combines a liberal arts methodology with professional programs, something that almost no other college of a similar size is doing, and definitely not in as hands-on a way. Home to 3,700 undergraduate students and rooted in Lewisburg, PA (a town they describe as: “…you won’t get stuck in traffic, but you won’t run out of things to do, either.”), Bucknell has three undergraduate colleges, the College of Management, the College of Engineering, and the College of Arts & Sciences, and 65 majors. Students have access to research opportunities from day one, for example Bucknell is the only undergraduate college with a Primate Center where you can study animal behavior, and the acceptance rate is 32.6%.  

If you are a STEM lover, you probably have already heard about Harvey Mudd. The small private college in Claremont, California, offers 10 engineering, science, and mathematics-based majors and a core humanities curriculum. While Harvey Mudd might have limited majors and just under 1000 undergrads, they are part of the Claremont Colleges consortium. Meaning Harvey Mudd students can take classes and more at Pomona College, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, and Pitzer College. For the class of 2026,  they had about a 13% acceptance rate.

Bryn Mawr is a small liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, right outside of Philadelphia. The college is traditionally all-women, but now defines their student body a little more broadly, making room for non-binary and transgender individuals in their 1,409-strong student body. Bryn Mawr prioritizes student leadership, and students play a large role in directing and managing residential life and upholding academic integrity. The top three majors are psychology, English, and sociology, and outside of the classroom students build community through off-beat and beloved traditions such as Lantern Night, May Day, and leaving offerings to Athena. The acceptance rate is 31%.

The University of Richmond is a smedium-ish (that’s small and medium combined, btw) private liberal arts college located in Richmond, VA. Fans of schools like UVA, UNC, Tulane, Wake Forest, SMU, Emory, Rice, and other elite southern institutions often find themselves adding Richmond to their list as well. With one of the most famously generous financial aid departments in the country (60% of students receive aid), the University of Richmond has increased their accessibility to students around the world. Speaking of, they’re also test optional this year. For the Class of 2027, Richmond had a 23% acceptance rate, with a large majority (66%) of those students coming from the ED and EA pools.

Princeton is an Ivy League university that offers its 5,500 undergraduate students one of the best liberal arts educations in the world. The campus is brimming with talent, and there are 31 faculty and staff Nobel Prize winners and 24 alumni winners of the Nobel Prize. Two alumni have become President of the United States, and three current Supreme Court Justices are graduates. There are 400+ international internship opportunities for you to explore, but the college remains grounded in its New Jersey campus. Since the founding of Princeton in 1746, the university has only had 20 presidents, and this continuity has led to a culture that deeply values tradition, history, and legacy. Part of this legacy is an intense commitment to free speech and promoting complex dialog — even when it’s comfortable. Princeton has recently withheld admissions statistics, but The Daily Princetonian estimates the acceptance rate at a little under 6%.

The University of Rochester is a private university in (you guessed it) Rochester, New York. The small city of Rochester is on the Genesee River, which flows into the nearby Lake Ontario. The University is home to around 6,800 undergrads and over 200 majors. The university has a flexible curriculum, a free fifth year, and a surprisingly high international community. Last year they had a 39% acceptance rate.

Amherst is the platonic ideal of a New England liberal arts school. With a small student body and a 1,000-acre campus with views of mountains and forest in Amherst, Massachusetts, the school has a picturesque serenity and college-town charm. It welcomes the free spirit (its “open curriculum” means you have no core requirements), and there’s no shortage of academic options despite its size and rural location. As part of the Five College Consortium (including Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst), Amherst offers its students access to over 7,000 courses and over 10 million items within its inter-library system. That being said, Amherst’s incoming Class of 2027 only had a 9% acceptance rate, so getting in is a doozy.

Brandeis is a medium-sized research university that ranks among the best large research universities in America, but with a community that feels more like a liberal arts college. Established in 1948 by the American Jewish community to welcome people of all backgrounds and faiths, the founding values that undergird Brandeis are rooted in Jewish history and experience. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, within screaming distance of Boston, Brandeis is home to 3,591 undergraduate students. The acceptance rate is 39%.