Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges in New England
What’s Covered:
New England is a hotbed of liberal arts education—the region is home to several schools in the top 10 of traditional college ranking lists and quite a few in the top 25. If you’ve dreamed of attending a top-rated LAC in New England, keep reading to learn more about the region’s offerings, admissions standards, acceptance rate, size, and what makes these schools unique.
Best Liberal Arts Colleges in New England
1. Williams College
Location: Williamstown, MA
Acceptance Rate: 8%
Middle 50% SAT: 1500-1560
Middle 50% ACT: 34-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,000
An idyllic New England campus, intellectually curious students, and world-class faculty are just a few of the reasons why Williams College is the gold standard for a liberal arts education.
Among the numerous characteristics that separate Williams from other schools is its 4-1-4 academic calendar, in which there are two 4-month semesters, as well as an additional 1-month winter class during January—usually a “non-academic” class, like Yoga or Jazz—taken pass/fail. It also offers tutorials, which are small, essay-based classes that meet weekly. These courses are based on the renowned tutorial system at Oxford and Cambridge.
Learn more about Williams College and what it takes to get accepted.
2. Bowdoin College
Location: Brunswick, ME
Acceptance Rate: 7%
Middle 50% SAT: 1470-1540
Middle 50% ACT: 33-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,900
Founded in 1794, Bowdoin College has a long and interesting history—for example, it was a men’s college for almost two centuries, and didn’t matriculate a coed class until 1971. Two years prior to the arrival of women students to campus, Bowdoin made news when it became one of only a select few highly selective schools to become test-optional.
Learn more about Bowdoin College and what it takes to get accepted.
3. Amherst College
Location: Amherst, MA
Acceptance Rate: 9%
Middle 50% SAT: 1500-1560
Middle 50% ACT: 33-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,900
Amherst is perhaps best known for its open curriculum; there are no general education requirements, so students have the freedom to explore many subjects. Another academic perk is the Five College Consortium, which allows students to also take classes at UMass Amherst, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Hampshire College. 45% of students study abroad, and financial aid applies to these programs; students will pay no more for study abroad than for a semester at Amherst.
Learn more about Amherst College and what it takes to get accepted.
4. Wellesley College
Location: Wellesley, MA
Acceptance Rate: 14%
Middle 50% SAT: 1470-1550
Middle 50% ACT: 33-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,400
Located just miles outside of Boston, Wellesley College delivers a gorgeous suburban campus with an abundance of green space and easy access to the city. One of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, Wellesley continues to attract the best and brightest women and provides them with an unrivaled education.
Learn more about Wellesley College and what it takes to get accepted.
5. Middlebury College
Location: Middlebury, VT
Acceptance Rate: 14%
Middle 50% SAT: 1450-1530
Middle 50% ACT: 33-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,800
For more than 200 years (since 1800) Middlebury has been graduating lifetime learners—including Alexander Twilight, the first African American to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in the U.S. Middlebury’s stunning campus is nestled between the Adirondack and Green Mountains.
Like you might expect from a school in Vermont, skiing is a big part of the college’s culture; it owns and operates its own ski area, and numerous Olympic skiers have graduated from the school. Middlebury is perhaps best known for its study abroad programs and summer language immersion programs. If you want to become fluent in a foreign language, this may be the school for you!
Learn more about Middlebury College and what it takes to get accepted.
6. Wesleyan University
Location: Middletown, CT
Acceptance Rate: 16%
Middle 50% SAT: 1300-1500
Middle 50% ACT: 31-34
Undergraduate Enrollment: 3,000
Wesleyan is another college with an open curriculum, and it also allows students to design their own majors. The university is unique among liberal arts schools in that it also offers BA/MA programs and some PhD programs! Wesleyan is also only two hours from NYC, and about a half hour from Hartford and New Haven.
Learn more about Wesleyan University and what it takes to get accepted.
7. Colby College
Location: Waterville, ME
Acceptance Rate: 7%
Middle 50% SAT: 1450-1540
Middle 50% ACT: 32-34
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,400
You might think a college founded in 1814 would have its eyes on the past, but Colby is a college that’s looking to the future. Colby is one of the first colleges in the U.S. to become carbon-neutral (all the way back in 2013!), and its student-run organic garden produces a whopping two tons of vegetables annually.
Like Williams College, Colby operates on a 4-1-4 academic calendar; their winter session is called the “Jan Plan” and gives students an opportunity to pursue a variety of academic interests.
Learn more about Colby College and what it takes to get accepted.
8. Smith College
Location: Northampton, MA
Acceptance Rate: 22%
Middle 50% SAT: 1450-1520
Middle 50% ACT: 32-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,500
Smith is another one of the original Seven Sister Colleges, and today is one of the nation’s largest liberal arts colleges for women. Smith is part of the Five College Consortium along with Amherst College; this partnership offers a multitude of benefits, including shared educational and cultural resources/facilities, a joint automated library system, open cross-registration, and intercampus transportation. The college is also one of the few in the country with an open curriculum, allowing students unparalleled flexibility in choosing their courses.
Learn more about Smith College and what it takes to get accepted.
9. Bates College
Location: Lewiston, ME
Acceptance Rate: 15%
Middle 50% SAT: 1410-1490
Middle 50% ACT: 30-33
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,800
In addition to being one of the finest liberal arts colleges in New England, Bates has a well-earned reputation for diversity and inclusion. Founded by abolitionists, Bates has the distinction of being both the region’s first coeducational college, as well as being one of the first schools to admit African American students.
Today, the school continues this mission—it maintains a roughly even gender balance and nearly a third of its students come from underrepresented groups.
Learn more about Bates College and what it takes to get accepted.
10. Trinity College
Location: Hartford, CT
Acceptance Rate: 29%
Middle 50% SAT: 1340-1450
Middle 50% ACT: 30-34
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,200
Founded in 1823, Trinity College is Connecticut’s second-oldest college, surpassed only by Yale, the state’s Ivy League University. The college fosters a close-knit campus community, with approximately 83% of undergraduates residing on campus.
When Trinity students do venture beyond campus, it is often through J-Term (short for January Term), a two-week program that allows students to earn a half-credit by taking a course offered on campus, online, or abroad.
Learn more about Trinity College and what it takes to get accepted.
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?
In addition to being a top liberal arts college in New England, Wellesley is included on CollegeVine’s list of the Top 10 Most Underrated East Coast Colleges. Check out this breakdown to learn about nine other underrated East Coast colleges.
While each of these colleges has a different average acceptance rate, they are all selective. It’s great to be interested in selective schools, but it is also important to remember to create a balanced college list.
If possible, a student should apply to 8-10 schools, with about 25% being safety schools, 40% being target schools, and 35% being reach schools. These categories—safety, target, and reach—are determined by your chances of acceptance at the schools you are applying to.
Because your personal chances of acceptance at these schools may differ from the average acceptance rate, we’ve made it easy to figure out which schools fall into which categories with our free chancing engine. By taking into account your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, we’ll estimate your odds of acceptance at different schools and give you tips on improving your profile.
