Spelman College
Spelman College is the nation’s most prestigious historically black women’s college located just outside Atlanta, Georgia. Claiming alumnae as illustrious as Stacey Abrams and Pulitzer Prize Winner Alice Walker, Spelman College has a history of activism and excellence dating back to the Civil Rights Movement. Spelman College students were among the first arrested for participating in Atlanta-area sit-ins. Acclaimed American labor historian and professor of politics Howard Zinn mentored these young advocates in their fight for desegregation. Social justice remains at the fore of the Spelman experience. In response to the death of George Floyd, faculty and administration launched Spelman Speaks: A Series on Black Lives Matter and Social Justice. The series provides a collaborative space for campus and community leaders to collectively fight for ongoing racial equity. 

Admit Rate: 50%

Cost of Attendance: $51,047

Oberlin College
Home to a world-renowned music conservatory and college of liberal arts, Oberlin College boasts a politically progressive reputation that dates back to its founding in 1833. The College’s early presidents were champions of Abolition and firmly believed in the immediate and complete freeing of all enslaved Americans. To that end, Oberlin College became a stop on the Underground Railroad and one of the first colleges in the country to admit African American students (1835) and to confer degrees to women (1841). 

Admit Rate: 34%

Cost of Attendance: $79,527 

Smith College

What do Julia Child, Sylvia Plath, and Gloria Steinheim have in common? They’re Smithies! Nestled in the progressive town of Northhampton, Massachusetts, Smith College is best known as the most progressive of the original Seven Sisters. Since 2003, Smith College has removed all use of pronouns from the Student Government Association constitution to better reflect the gender expression of its student body. In 2013, Smith College modified its admissions policies to more sensitively serve transgender and gender non-conforming applicants. Moreover, as a liberal arts institution, Smith College became the first women’s college in the nation to offer a degree in engineering that consistently ranks at the top nationwide. 

Admit Rate: 29%

Cost of Attendance: $77,844

Pitzer College
A member of the Claremont Colleges Consortium, Pitzer College’s core values include  Social Responsibility, Intercultural Understanding, Interdisciplinary Learning, Student Engagement, and Environmental Sustainability. Though founded as recently as 1963, Pitzer College imparts upon its graduates an equal sense of individual growth and community stewardship. Despite the small student body, Pitzer College students know how to make noise and stand up for what’s right. The campus encourages acts of protest and supports student advocacy; students can organize with peers across the Claremont campuses. All new students are required to take First Year Seminars intended as an introduction to college-level work. Socially and politically conscious students can look forward to offerings like “Art in the Age of Protest,” “Latinx Food Identity and Resistance,” and “Representation Matters: Contested Monuments and Public Space.“

Admit Rate: 18%

Cost of Attendance: $79,558

Macalester College
Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, is one of a handful of liberal arts colleges to call the city its campus. Though located in the midwest, Macalester College is best known for prioritizing international and multicultural perspectives throughout its curriculum and student life programming. Over 24% of Macalester’s student body is comprised of international students. In partnership with the college’s Kofi Annan (‘61)  Institute for Global Citizenship is the Community Engagement Center, which provides opportunities for informed civic and social engagement with the greater St. Paul community. 

Admit Rate: 27%

Cost of Attendance: $76,973