The Top 25 Liberal Arts Colleges in the Northeast

Key Points

• The Northeast is home to many top liberal arts universities, including Colgate, Smith, and Amherst
• Rankings for top universities were determined based on average SAT scores for the class of 2022
• Universities with less than 1,000 students were excluded
• Also: you don’t need a college degree to retire rich. Simply meeting with a financial advisor today can put you on the right path. Click here to learn more (it’s free).

With intimate classes and individualized fields of study, liberal arts colleges offer students a chance to earn their degrees in a unique environment of academic and personal growth. Liberal arts schools vary widely in curriculum and competitiveness, with some colleges in the Northeast ranking among the hardest-to-get-into schools nationwide. Read on to discover the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

To determine the top liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, Moms Who Think reviewed College Scorecard data on acceptance rates from the U.S. Department of Education. Liberal arts colleges were ranked based on the percentage of applicants who were granted admission in Fall 2022. Supplemental data on the average SAT score amongst admitted students for Fall 2022, published tuition and fees for the 2022-23 academic year, the number of undergraduate students in Fall 2022, and the percentage of degrees awarded by field of study in the 2021-22 academic year is also from the Department of Education. Only colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduate students that are classified as Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education were considered.

25. Bennington College (Bennington, VT)

• Acceptance rate: 45.3%
• Average SAT score: 1337/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $61,448
• Undergraduate population: 733
• Most popular fields of study: Visual and performing arts, english language and literature/letters, foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics

24. Connecticut College (New London, CT)

• Acceptance rate: 40.4%
• Average SAT score: 1427/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $63,005
• Undergraduate population: 1,915
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology

23. Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA)

• Acceptance rate: 39.8%
• Average SAT score: 1432/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $58,498
• Undergraduate population: 2,183
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology

22. College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)

• Acceptance rate: 36.4%
• Average SAT score: 1361/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $58,360
• Undergraduate population: 3,062
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, psychology, biological and biomedical sciences

21. Franklin and Marshall College (Lancaster, PA)

• Acceptance rate: 36.2%
• Average SAT score: 1386/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $65,844
• Undergraduate population: 1,986
• Most popular fields of study: Multi/interdisciplinary studies, social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences

20. Trinity College (Hartford, CT)

• Acceptance rate: 36.1%
• Average SAT score: 1387/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $63,930
• Undergraduate population: 2,141
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology

19. Lafayette College (Easton, PA)

• Acceptance rate: 33.6%
• Average SAT score: 1410/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $59,368
• Undergraduate population: 2,725
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, engineering, biological and biomedical sciences

18. Bucknell University (Lewisburg, PA)

• Acceptance rate: 32.6%
• Average SAT score: 1405/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $61,746
• Undergraduate population: 3,732
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, engineering, business, management, marketing, and related support services

17. Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)

• Acceptance rate: 30.8%
• Average SAT score: 1404/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $59,330
• Undergraduate population: 1,402
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, psychology, biological and biomedical sciences

16. Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY)

• Acceptance rate: 25.5%
• Average SAT score: 1396/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $62,398
• Undergraduate population: 2,744
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, business, management, marketing, and related support services, visual and performing arts

15. Smith College (Northampton, MA)

• Acceptance rate: 22.9%
• Average SAT score: 1455/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $58,768
• Undergraduate population: 2,515
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, visual and performing arts

14. Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)

• Acceptance rate: 18.7%
• Average SAT score: 1487/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $64,800
• Undergraduate population: 2,430
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, visual and performing arts

13. Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)

• Acceptance rate: 14.4%
• Average SAT score: 1426/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $64,322
• Undergraduate population: 3,006
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, psychology, visual and performing arts

12. Haverford College (Haverford, PA)

• Acceptance rate: 14.2%
• Average SAT score: 1506/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $63,628
• Undergraduate population: 1,417
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology

11. Bates College (Lewiston, ME)

• Acceptance rate: 13.7%
• Average SAT score: 1480/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $61,066
• Undergraduate population: 1,790
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology

10. Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA)

• Acceptance rate: 13.6%
• Average SAT score: 1500/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $61,920
• Undergraduate population: 2,353
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences and support services

9. Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT)

• Acceptance rate: 12.7%
• Average SAT score: 1502/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $62,460
• Undergraduate population: 2,751
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, natural resources and conservation

8. Colgate University (Hamilton, NY)

• Acceptance rate: 12.4%
• Average SAT score: 1480/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $64,290
• Undergraduate population: 3,124
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology

7. Hamilton College (Clinton, NY)

• Acceptance rate: 11.8%
• Average SAT score: 1500/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $62,670
• Undergraduate population: 2,071
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, visual and performing arts

6. Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME)

• Acceptance rate: 9.2%
• Average SAT score: 1520/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $61,528
• Undergraduate population: 1,909
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences and support services

5. Barnard College (New York, NY)

• Acceptance rate: 8.8%
• Average SAT score: 1495/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $62,525
• Undergraduate population: 3,126
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, visual and performing arts

4. Williams College (Williamstown, MA)

• Acceptance rate: 8.5%
• Average SAT score: 1540/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $61,770
• Undergraduate population: 2,138
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, physical sciences, biological and biomedical sciences

3. Colby College (Waterville, ME)

• Acceptance rate: 7.6%
• Average SAT score: 1501/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $63,520
• Undergraduate population: 2,299
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology

2. Amherst College (Amherst, MA)

• Acceptance rate: 7.3%
• Average SAT score: 1513/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $64,100
• Undergraduate population: 1,898
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences and support services

1. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA)

• Acceptance rate: 6.9%
• Average SAT score: 1507/1600
• Published tuition and fees: $59,328
• Undergraduate population: 1,619
• Most popular fields of study: Social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences and support services

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