Lewis and Clark College 

Like the college’s namesake explorers, L&C students are encouraged to explore. Located in Portland, Oregon, Lewis and Clark College boasts a reputation for encouraging global perspectives. In fact, all L&C students are required to demonstrate competency in a foreign language and international studies, regardless of major. Unsurprisingly, International Affairs is the college’s most popular major and learning is supplemented by thrilling study abroad programs available in 6 continents. Lewis and Clark is committed to student success, and should a student in good standing need more than 4 years to graduate, the college pledges to cover the cost of an additional semester. 

Admit Rate: 72% 

Total Undergraduate Population: 1,904

Cost of Attendance: $71,692

Occidental College

A Mediterranean-style oasis in the heart of Los Angeles, Occidental College is home to a driven, diverse, and creative student body that once counted President Barack Obama among its ranks. Though only minutes from downtown LA, the campus itself offers much to keep its students engaged. Oxy boasts a commitment to diverse and hands-on learning experiences, and encourages its students to partake in its many creative academic programs. For example, the Campaign Semester, offered every two years, allows students to work full-time on a political campaign. 

Admit Rate: 36%

Total Undergraduate Population: 1,962

Cost of Attendance: $75,916

Loyola Marymount University

The only Roman Catholic University in Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University is a step larger than Occidental, and fosters a community that strives for the Jesuit ideal of service. With Hollywood a stone’s throw away, LMU boasts exceptional programming in Film and Television Programming. Students can taste creative life behind-the-scenes by participating in the University’s student-run production office!

Admit Rate: 43%

Total Undergraduate Population: 6,548

Cost of Attendance: $71,258 

Trinity University 

Featuring an intimate, diverse, and talented student body, Trinity University in San Antonio places student experience as a core value. Freshman students receive academic counseling from university faculty, and despite the often rigorous course load, opportunities for academic support abound. Trinity University also provides opportunities for serving the larger San Antonio community. For example, students who choose to reside in the HOPE Hall living/learning community devote two hours weekly volunteering with local organizations that work to mitigate houselessness. 

Admit Rate: 28%

Total Undergraduate Population: 2,399

Cost of Attendance: 62,596

Rhodes College

Located in the heart of Memphis, across from the city’s largest art museum and the Memphis Zoo, Rhodes College offers the individualized attention of a small college with the opportunity of a metropolitan city. Rhodes students partake in the college’s core curriculum sequence, known as “The Search for Values in the Light of Western History and Religion, and Life: Then and Now,” and has been a graduation requirement since 1925. The college boasts a partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for students to participate in research that they can continue on campus as well. 

Admit Rate: 44%

Total Undergraduate Population: 1,945

Cost of Attendance: $66,470

American University

Minutes from downtown D.C., American University has been the starting point for many of the nation’s lobbyists, diplomats, and policymakers. To that end, American University features a Core Curriculum that purports to mold students into effective and participatory citizens. Completing a capstone project in the major is a graduation requirement, but still leaves time for over 91% of American University students to still complete an internship. 

Admit Rate: 36%

Total Undergraduate Population: 8,207

Cost of Attendance: $69,366

Marymount Manhattan College

A small college in the most bustling city in the country, Marymount Manhattan College infuses the energy of New York City into its academic offerings. Unsurprisingly, MMC’s strongest programs are in the performing arts and students can explore and combine their many diverse interests into a creative interdisciplinary major of their own design. 

Admit Rate: 79%

Total Undergraduate Population: 1660

Cost of Attendance: $63,804

Ursinus College

Located just outside of Philadelphia, Ursinus College prepares its student body to live a life of purpose. The core curriculum, known as Quest: Open Questions, Open Minds, engages students in thought and reflection across themes of personal values, community living, understanding the world, and decision-making. Ursinus College provides plentiful research opportunities, and each summer 80 students are endowed with fellowships to fund their own projects. To better appreciate Philadelphia’s offerings, students can enroll in the Philadelphia Experience, wherein students live in a Philadelphia residence hall while taking coursework and completing a professional internship. 

Admit Rate: 79%

Total Undergraduate Population: 1,457

Cost of Attendance: $72,062

Trinity College

Located in Hartford, Connecticut, Trinity College integrates the city into the learning experience of its student body. The newly raised Liberal Arts Action Lab in downtown Hartford invites collaboration from community partners and students to propose and develop solutions to any issues within the city. One of the few small liberal arts colleges with an engineering program, Trinity College students interested in bioengineering are welcome to explore course options at UConn and conduct research in one of the city’s numerous health centers. The college is also home to the nation’s largest public robotics competition. 

Admit Rate: 33%

Total Undergraduate Population: 2,128

Cost of Attendance: $79,850

Case Western Reserve University

A 550-acre campus located in Cleveland, Ohio, Case Western Reserve University is best known for its offerings in STEM, but boasts renowned programs in the arts and sciences as well–in fact, music majors pursue programming in collaboration with the Cleveland Institute of Music. General education requirements demand that students explore critical thinking and complete a writing portfolio in addition to a senior capstone experience. CWRU also features a number of combined bachelor’s and master’s programs, and some lucky freshmen are even granted conditional acceptance to the university’s well-regarded medical and dental schools. 

Admit Rate: 27%

Total Undergraduate Population: 5,237

Cost of Attendance: $72,128