Lehigh University is a small research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. There are 5,047 undergraduate students and 1,802 graduate students, placing it on the larger side of small. Lehigh is recognized as an NGO by the United Nations and has 56 UN-related programs every year. They also have impressive academics, but they are better known for the social side of things. Lehigh has a very significant Greek-life and a lot of school spirit, which shows itself at the annual Lehigh-Lafayette football games. 53% of the class of 2022 was filled with Early Decision applicants.

Bryn Mawr College is a private liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It is a small school with only 1,350 undergraduates. More importantly, it is a women’s college. According to their website, “Bryn Mawr College considers as eligible to apply to the undergraduate college all individuals who have identified and continue to identify as women (including cisgender and trans women), intersex individuals who do not identify as male, individuals assigned female at birth who have not taken medical or legal steps to identify as male, and individuals assigned female at birth who do not identify within the gender binary.” The acceptance rate at Bryn Mawr is 34%  

Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, a small town in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. Williams has approximately 2,000 students, and the most popular major is economics. The Williams admissions office emphasizes that they are not just looking for students with excellent grades and scores — quantitative measures that aren’t perfectly parallel with potential. They want creative, community-focused students. One of the more unique quirks at Williams is that students can borrow art from the College’s museum to hang on the walls of their dorm!

The University of Chicago is a large liberal arts undergraduate college within a powerful research university in Chicago, Illinois. There are 6,285 undergraduate students and 10,159 graduate, professional, and other students. The university is known for a rigorous Core curriculum that requires all students to gain a well-rounded liberal arts education before graduating. It also operates on a quarter system, rather than the typical semester system that most colleges use.  Gaining admission to the University of Chicago is analogous to getting into an Ivy League university. The acceptance rate is a mere 7.3%.

Davidson College is a liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, a close-knit community a thirty-minute drive north from Charlotte. There are 1,843 undergraduate students, and they boast Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, as an alumnus. Davidson is affiliated with the Presbyterian church and has stuck to a strict Honor Code system for over 100 years. The Honor Code has evolved with the times, but what hasn’t changed are the commitments to academic excellence, intellectual freedom, and moral courage.

Mount Holyoke is an all-women’s liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is an all-women’s school, but it is not entirely female. Mount Holyoke embraces students who are cisgender women, trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary who feel that an all-women’s educational environment is the best fit for them. The 2,208 undergraduate students are nearly equally spread among the humanities, social sciences, and STEM subject, and 89% of classes have less than 30 students. They are also test-optional, which means that they do not require you to submit SAT or ACT scores.  

Georgia Tech is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. The school is majorly technology-focused and students who attend the school rave about the research opportunities on campus. About 16,000 undergraduate students attend the school, and the acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 18.8%. 

Occidental is a small liberal arts school in Los Angeles, California with just over 2,000 undergraduate students. Classes are generally small: 90% of them have less than 30 students and the average class size is 18 students. The acceptance rate hovers around 37%.

Lafayette College is a small private liberal arts school in Easton, Pennsylvania. Lafayette is known for its strong academics, emphasis on study abroad, and a storied football rivalry with nearby Lehigh University. If you’re interested in a small school experience — Lafayette has 2,610 students — but don’t want to miss out on some seriously exciting games, Lafayette may be a perfect fit. The acceptance rate is about 28%  

Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri. The university is home to a total of 15,400 students, 7,700 of whom are enrolled in undergraduate programs. The motto of WashU is Per Veritatem Vis, or “Strength through Truth.” This is a fitting motto for an institution where the search for truth through research isn’t just encouraged — it’s practically mandatory. WashU’s reputation for excellent research opportunities has made it a top choice for students pursuing the humanities and the sciences alike. WashU is also ranked in the top-10 schools in the country for entrepreneurs, financial resources, campus food, the administration, and their dorms. If you’re thinking of going pre-med, you’re in luck too. The pre-med program at WashU is highly respected nationally.

The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts school in Richmond, Virginia. Nestled in the heart of the South, U of Richmond is a relatively small (around 3,500 undergrad), suburban campus. Business is among its most popular majors, along with general liberal arts and humanities. The school has an acceptance rate of 33%.

Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The school boasts the most beautiful campus of 2019 as judged by Princeton Review — an authority on college academics, admissions, and, apparently, landscaping. Approximately 92% of the 3,600 undergraduate students take full advantage of this by choosing to live on campus as they pursue a mix of liberal arts and pre-professional programs. The acceptance rate is 34%.

Villanova is private Catholic school in Villanova, PA. Roughly 6,500 undergraduates attend the school. Villanova has a highly ranked nursing program and students are die-hard Villanova basketball fans. The acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 27.7%

Rice University is a private research university in Houston, Texas. Rice is a medium-sized school with 3,962 undergraduate students and is known for being academically and socially excellent. It is rated #2 in the nation for student quality of life and #14 for best universities in the nation by The Princeton Review.

The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is frequently referred to as a “public Ivy.” It might not be an official title, but it does say a lot. William and Mary is highly respected, provides an educational experience of an Ivy caliber, but with the benefit of being more accessible. If you live in Virginia, you even get the added benefit of in-state tuition. The 6,400 undergraduate student body is big enough to offer something for nearly anyone while small enough to provide a community that is known for being close-knit and supportive. William and Mary’s emphasis on undergraduate research is also a huge selling point.

The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university in Austin, Texas and one of the top public colleges in the United States.

Scripps College is an all-women’s liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It is a small school comprised of only 1048 undergraduate students. Scripps is one of the 5C’s — the consortium of colleges in Claremont that allow students to flow between them for many courses and some programs of study.  

Smith is a private, liberal arts women’s college in Massachusetts. It is the largest school of the Seven Sisters, and with an acceptance rate of approximately 32%, it is considered to be one of the top liberal arts schools in the nation. A politically active and socially conscious campus, Smith’s curriculum encourages students to participate in internships and experiential learning opportunities through various academic disciplines. And, oh yeah, it’s test optional for American citizens. 

Trinity College is a small liberal arts school in Hartford, Connecticut. One look at their supplement will tell you that the school is very proud of the fact that it is located in an urban setting. Just over 2,100 undergraduates attend, and 40% of those students participate in either varsity or club sports. The acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 33%.

Macalester College is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, also known as the Twin Cities area. The most popular majors at Macalester are economics, mathematics, and biology. Macalester emphasizes hands-on learning outside of the classroom. There are over 200 internship sites within eight miles of campus, and 76% of students take part in at least one internship while at Macalester. This doesn’t stop them from exploring further afield; 60% of Macalester students study abroad.