Williams College Tops US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026 Ranking

Applying to College College Headlines
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Williams College and Amherst College once again ranked at the top of the US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026 ranking, with the US Naval Academy moving up to #3 (from #4 in 2025) and Swarthmore moving down to #4.

The biggest jump came from Mount Holyoke College, who went from #34 in 2025 to #29 this year.

Top 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges:

1 Williams College
2 Amherst College
3 US Naval Academy
4 Swarthmore
5 Bowdoin College
5 US Air Force Academy
7 Claremont McKenna College
7 Pomona College
7 Wellesley College
10 Carleton College
10 Harvey Mudd College
10 US Military Academy at West Point
13 Barnard College
13 Davidson College
13 Grinnell College
13 Hamilton College
13 Middlebury College
13 Smith College
13 Vassar College
13 Wesleyan University
21 Washington & Lee University
22 Colgate
22 University of Richmond
24 Bates College
24 Colby College
24 Haverford College
27 College of the Holy Cross
28 Macalester College
29 Mount Holyoke College
30 Bryn Mawr College
30 Bucknell University
30 Colorado College
30 Lafayette College
34 Denison University
35 Franklin & Marshall College
35 Occidental College
37 Pitzer College
37 Scripps College
37 Skidmore College
37 Soka University of America
37 Spelman College
37 Trinity College
37 Trinity University
44 Union College
45 Berea College
45 Dickinson College
45 Furman College
45 Kenyon College
45 The University of the South
50 Connecticut College
50 Hillsdale College
50 St. Olaf College
50 Wabash College
50 Wheaton College (IL)

Click here for the full ranking.

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A number of the colleges are equal ranked and listed in alphabetical order. Your numbered ordering is not correct: eg 13-19 on your list are all =.

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Thanks for flagging, @CoogeeAus! There was an editing issue, but should be OK now.

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Biggest jumps were Middlebury and Grinnell, which both went from 19 to 13.

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We never hear about Soka but it’s always on the list.

Anyone have experience ?

Pick your Trinity - equally ranked. Both have an ABET accredited major (engineering) although the University’s is Eng Science. University has a B school.

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Looks like a few of the NESCACs moved up. 8 in top 25!

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Including the always forgotten Conn College and omitting Tufts, all are in the top 50.

Assuming you give USNW any credence…

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There are actually several schools listed as #50 in the rankings:

50 Conn College

50 Hillsdale

50 St. Olaf

50 Wabash

50 Wheaton (IL)

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If I recall correctly, some criticize tiny SOKA as promoting a cult-like atmosphere.

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Like Hillsdale :slight_smile:

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No, I don’t think that Hillsdale College is cult-like in any way.

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we’ll disagree….

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Soka is definitely not a “normal” college, including that it doesn’t have a “normal” curriculum structure. Also way more International students than “normal”.

Whether any of that is a good or bad is of course an entirely different question, but it is a good example of why generic rankings make little sense.

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Reminder that this is not the political forum! Please take the discussion about the administration and Christian nationalism to a thread there. TIA!

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Surely you jest.

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