Agnes Scott College

Agnes Scott College is a private institution that was founded in 1889. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 915, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 100 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Agnes Scott College's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 73. Its tuition and fees are $35,982 (2014-15).

Located in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur, Georgia, Agnes Scott College is a private liberal arts college for women. Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, the college is open to students of all faiths and beliefs. Students admitted to the school have the choice of joining more than 50 student-led organizations. With fewer than 1,000 students, Agnes Scott College promotes unity through a ceremony known as Black Cat. This ceremony marks the end of orientation and officially welcomes the new class to the community.

Freshmen admitted to the college are required to live in a dormitory assigned by the school but can select their roommate through an online matching service. Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors participate in a housing lottery during spring semester. All students are expected to live on campus, but students can request an exemption. Agnes Scott College is a member of the Great South Athletic Conference in the NCAA Division III and fields six varsity programs. Its teams are known as the Scotties.

Agnes Scott College prides itself on its sustainable practices and offers composting in its dining areas and at some events. The college offers a post-baccalaureate pre-medical program designed for non-science majors who want to pursue medical school but have no previous training in the sciences. This 12-month program is the only one of its kind in the state of Georgia. Students looking to experience the night life or overall city life of Atlanta are only six miles from the center of downtown. Notable alumni of the college include Jennifer Nettles, lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning band Sugarland; Ila Burdette, Georgia’s first female Rhodes Scholar; and Katherine Krill, president and CEO of women’s clothing retailer Ann Inc.

Agnes Scott College educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times. Students are drawn to Agnes Scott by its excellent academic reputation, exceptional faculty and metropolitan Atlanta location, offering myriad cultural and experiential learning opportunities. A diverse and growing residential community of scholars, this highly selective liberal arts college presents its curriculum with international context. Study abroad is encouraged by offering faculty-led travel tied to classroom study to broaden understanding of cultural values and contrasts. A strong record of student achievement is found in the numbers of Agnes Scott students who earn prestigious scholarships and fellowships including Fulbright grants, Rhodes Scholarships, Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships and Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships. An array of experiential learning opportunities also encourages students to apply learning to career development. By challenging its students to demonstrate leadership in their education and serve their communities at home and abroad, Agnes Scott College delivers on its promise: The World for Women.

Wheaton College

Wheaton College is a private institution that was founded in 1834. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,656, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 473 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Wheaton College's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 69. Its tuition and fees are $46,423 (2014-15).

Located between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, Wheaton College can be found in the town of Norton, Massachusetts. Originally founded in 1834 as a female seminary, it became a women's college in 1912 and finally began admitting men in 1988. Students admitted to the college have the opportunity to select from about 40 majors and more than 100 student-run clubs and organizations. Academically, students are required to complete "connections," a series of linked courses that approaches a subject matter from different perspectives and disciplines, giving the student a broad, wide-ranging view of knowledge. As a residential college, Wheaton requires most students to live on campus, although off-campus housing can be arranged if needed. Students can choose to live in traditional residence houses or themed houses, which place students with like interests in the same living area. Known as the Lyons, Wheaton College sports teams compete in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference in the NCAA Division III, and the college fields 21 intercollegiate teams for men and women.

Students looking to extend their educational experience have the opportunity to cross-register at Brown University or at eight other local colleges in the Southeastern Association for Cooperation in Higher Education in Massachusetts for courses not covered in the Wheaton curriculum. The honor code is an important feature of Wheaton College, and all students are required to practice it during their college career. As part of the code, most tests and exams are not proctored and students are often permitted to complete the exam away from the testing location. Freshmen admitted to the college are required to complete the First Year Seminar program, which gives students the opportunity to learn in small classes through reading and regular discussion. Notable alumni of the college include National Medal of Science winner Dr. Mary Ellen Avery; Christie Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and former EPA director; and Oscar-nominated actress Catherine Keener.

Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is a private institution that was founded in 1844. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,486, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 400 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Hillsdale College's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 69. Its tuition and fees are $23,616 (2014-15).

Hillsdale College distinguishes itself from most other academic institutions by its rigorous, traditional, liberal arts core curriculum and its principled determination never to accept federal taxpayer funding. Hillsdale's core curriculum contains the essence of the classical liberal arts education. Through it, our students are introduced to the history, the philosophical and theological ideas, the works of literature, and the scientific discoveries that set Western Civilization apart. As explained in Hillsdale mission statement, "The College considers itself a trustee of modern man's intellectual and spiritual inheritance from the Judeo-Christian faith and Greco-Roman culture, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law".    

College of Wooster

College of Wooster is a private institution that was founded in 1866. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,116, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 240 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. College of Wooster's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 69. Its tuition and fees are $43,350 (2014-15).

The College of Wooster is the nation's premier liberal arts college for undergraduate research. Wooster offers an excellent, comprehensive liberal education, culminating in a rigorous, in-depth project of inquiry or creative expression. By working in partnership with a faculty member to conceive, organize and complete a significant project on a topic of the student's own choosing, every Wooster student develops abilities valued by employers and graduate schools alike: initiative, self-confidence, independent judgment, creative problem solving, and strong written and oral communication skills. Wooster is a diverse, supportive, unpretentious community of learners where students can be themselves, discover and pursue their passion, and forge lifelong bonds with faculty,coaches, staff, and one another that enrich their college experience and sustain the college's tradition of excellence. 

Berea College

Berea College is a private institution that was founded in 1855. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,623, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 140 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Berea College's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 69. Its tuition and fees are $870 (2014-15).

Situated in the city of Berea, Kentucky, Berea College is known for being the first interracial and coeducational college in the South. Berea is different from most colleges because it does not charge students tuition for attending the school. The college relies on endowment income, gifts and financial aid to support the students in their educational aspirations. All students are required to work a minimum of 10 hours per week in approved jobs on campus and in the community. Along with degree-granting programs in 28 fields, there are also more than 70 organizations for student participation. All students are required to live on campus unless they are aged 23 or older, married or a parent. Berea College is a member of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and offers 16 varsity programs. Its athletic teams are known as the Mountaineers.

All students admitted to Berea College are provided a laptop to use during their college careers under the EDGE Program. Many students looking to relax while on campus go to the Woods-Penniman Commons, which houses one of the student cafés as well recreational lounges, which are referred to on campus as the "loud" lounges. The study abroad program is very popular at Berea College with more than 50 percent of the student body studying abroad during college. Notable alumni of the college include John Bennett Fenn, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Berea College serves students who posses great academic promise but limited financial resources. Berea provides all students with the equivalent of a full-tuition scholarship that makes it possible for many students to graduate debt-free. All students work at least 10 hours per week in one of the most ethnically diverse liberal arts colleges in the U.S. The first college in the South to educate black and white, men and women in the same classroom, Berea continues to advocate and embody a progressive, sustainable approach to the future.

Through living-and-learning environments such as the Ecovillage and Deep Green, the highest scoring Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified residence hall in the world, students engage in sustainable practices they can integrate into their communities. Berea extends educational opportunities outside the classroom through seven centers devoted to specialized, practical application of the Colleges ideals. The Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS), for example, empowers students to give back to the world in substantial and innovative ways.

In addition, the college is home to initiatives such as Partners For Education, which houses eight federally funded programs (e.g., GEAR UP Appalachia and the Promise Neighborhood Initiative) designed to support Bereas commitment to serving Appalachia.

Ultimately, Berea seeks to graduate service-oriented leaders for the Appalachian region and beyond.

Willamette University

Willamette University is a private institution that was founded in 1842. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,228, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 61 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Willamette University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 64. Its tuition and fees are $44,076 (2014-15).

Located in Oregon’s state capital, Salem, Willamette University carries the distinction of being the oldest university in the Western United States. The 69-acre campus is located directly across from the Oregon State Capitol and is less than an hour from Portland. All freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus, unless they commute 25 miles or less to campus. As juniors and seniors, students can move into private residences or one of the university's apartment complexes. Once at the college, students can participate in more than 100 clubs and organizations, including a small, but bustling, Greek life.

Studying abroad is a very popular academic choice for many students at the university, and more than half of the student body studies abroad during college. Students interested in studying abroad have the luxury of choosing programs from more than 40 countries. The university also has a partnership with Tokyo International University, which allows students interested in Japanese language and culture the chance to interact with Japanese students. Willamette University's sustainability efforts have not gone unnoticed. The National Wildlife Federation has recognized the university as first in the nation among 1,050-plus schools for practicing the most sustainability activities, many of which are student-initiated efforts. Willamette is a founding member of the Northwest Conference in the NCAA Division III, and its teams are known as the Bearcats.

Along with being the oldest university in the West, the Willamette University College of Law is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. Not to be outdone, Willamette's Atkinson Graduate School of Management is one of only two MBA programs in the world accredited for both business administration and public administration. The school's weekly newspaper, Willamette Collegian, began publishing in 1875 and has won several distinctions from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Notable alumni of the university include Dale T. Mortensen, the 2010 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, and James Albaugh, former executive vice president of The Boeing Co.

Willamette University is a place where talented faculty members inspire students to examine issues critically, think creatively and act effectively. Through our collaborative community and Pacific Northwest connections, we challenge students to transform knowledge into action - the foundation of a successful career and a meaningful life. The popular guide Colleges That Change Lives recognizes Willamette as one of 40 schools where students experience rich intellectual and personal growth thanks to dedicated professors and lively, diverse experiences in and out of the classroom. With a student-faculty ratio of 11:1, Willamette students can easily find a mentor. A record unmatched by any other West Coast school, Willamette faculty members have been named the state's Professor of the Year 11 times since 1990. The Oregon State Capitol is just across the street. It's Willamette's extended classroom, where our students explore and implement their ideas through internships with policymakers, primary source research in the Oregon State Archives, or side-by-side work with the states top scientists and economists. Willamette's 305-acre Zena Forest and Farm offer students a unique outdoor laboratory and creative space. There, students and faculty perform scientific research, run an organic farm, and find inspiration for their music and art. Our campus is also co-located with Tokyo International University of America, providing opportunities to explore international culture through social, language and living exchanges. Our physical spaces on campus are also designed for interaction. Faculty offices line our academic hearths, which are a focal point for studying, discussion and get-togethers with faculty over pizza or floats. The relationships students establish with each other, faculty and alumni are life-changing. Our graduates go on to impressive careers and lives of achievement and meaning. Willamettes alumni include a Nobel Prize-winning economist, corporate presidents and CEOs, top scholars, nationally recognized artists, 15 Oregon Supreme Court justices and numerous Fulbright Grant-winners. 

Virginia Military Institute

Virginia Military Institute is a public institution that was founded in 1839. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,675, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 200 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Virginia Military Institute's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 64. Its in-state tuition and fees are $15,518 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $37,574 (2014-15).

Located in Lexington, Virginia, the Virginia Military Institute is the oldest state-supported military college in the United States. Students admitted to the college are known as military cadets and are required to participate in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Unlike the federal service academies, Virginia Military Institute cadets are not required to serve in the military upon graduation. Cadets have about 80 academic, professional and social clubs and organizations to choose from upon entering the college.

Freshmen admitted to VMI are immediately exposed to the Rat Line, which is a system designed to create equality among all cadets and prepare them mentally and physically for their career in the Corps. This is done through a series of team-building exercises and stringent regulations. The housing situation is very different from most universities' campuses. In the Barracks, cadets live modestly, with limited space and multiple other occupants, and are expected to maintain cleanliness and order at all times. The Virginia Military Institute Keydets participate in 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs and are members of the Southern Conference and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Students who have been accepted to the Virginia Military Institute have the opportunity to take part in the Summer Transition Program, which helps incoming cadets improve both academically and physically. This program takes place during the last four weeks of the college's second summer term. VMI follows an honor code and strictly enforces its practices upon its cadets. When cadets first arrive on campus, they are issued their first cadet haircut at the VMI barbershop. Notable alumni include George Marshall, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former U.S. secretary of state; Benjamin Franklin Ficklin, one of the founders of the historic Pony Express; and actor and comedian Fred Willard.

VMI is a challenging curricular and co-curricular undergraduate experience, producing educated and honorable men and women who will be leaders in all walks of life. Its 1,675 cadets pursue BA and BS degrees in 14 disciplines in the fields of engineering, science, and liberal arts. VMI combines a full college curriculum within a regimen of military discipline that emphasizes the qualities of honor, integrity, and responsibility. The undergirding in all aspects of cadet life is the VMI Honor Code, to which all cadets subscribe.

Muhlenberg College

Muhlenberg College is a private institution that was founded in 1848. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,448, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 75 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Muhlenberg College's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 64. Its tuition and fees are $44,145 (2014-15).

Muhlenberg College offers academically challenging programs in the liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional studies within the context of a warm, caring community and close student-faculty relationships. The campus is known for outstanding facilities and beauty, and the environment is one which students describe with words such as "home" and "family." Muhlenberg faculty are unusually accessible, and the academic and co-curricular programs aim to prepare students for lives of leadership and service.    

Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo College is a private institution that was founded in 1833. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,458, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 60 acres. It utilizes a trimester-based academic calendar. Kalamazoo College's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 64. Its tuition and fees are $41,061 (2014-15).

The hilltop campus of Kalamazoo College is located in southwest Michigan, about 140 miles from both Detroit and Chicago. Students at Kalamazoo College can study in more than 25 undergraduate liberal arts fields and often learn through immersive, career-related programs. Through the Discovery Externship Program, freshmen and sophomores spend about two weeks living and working with alumni who work in the students' areas of study. Outside the classroom, students at K College, as it's known, can join more than 60 organizations or participate in stress-relieving activities such as concerts, craft projects and massages through the Wind Down Wednesday series.

Other campus activities include movie screenings each Friday night through the Zoo Flicks program and free food and games each Saturday night via the Zoo After Dark program. Student athletes can play for the orange and black K College Hornets varsity sports teams, which compete in the NCAA Division III Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Off campus, K College students can explore the shops and restaurants in the community of Kalamazoo and drive about 35 miles to the beaches of Lake Michigan.

Kalamazoo College is a private, highly selective liberal arts college with 1,458 students located in Kalamazoo, MI. While focusing on a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, the college also offers extensive experiential opportunities, including 3-9 months of international study (80% participation rate), career internships (50% participation rate), service-learning (75% participation rate)and undergraduate research (100% complete a Senior Individualized Project). Kalamazoo College also ranks 19th in the nation for graduates who go on to earn doctorate degrees. Kalamazoo College is also home to the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The mission of the Arcus Center is to support the pursuit of human rights and social justice by nurturing emerging leaders and sustaining existing leaders in the theory and practice of transformative leadership for positive social change, and to create a pivotal role for liberal arts education in engendering a more just world.

Gustavus Adolphus College

Gustavus Adolphus College is a private institution that was founded in 1862. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,455, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 340 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Gustavus Adolphus College's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 64. Its tuition and fees are $40,020 (2014-15).

Gustavus Adolphus College is a residential, liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota, that prepares 2,550 undergraduate students for lives of leadership, service, and lifelong learning. The oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota, Gustavus was founded in 1862 by Swedish Lutheran immigrants and named for Swedish King Gustav II Adolf. Gustavus Adolphus College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Throughout its history, it has valued its Lutheran and Swedish heritages.

The Gustavus culture derives from our founding traditions and offers a distinctiveness of feeling and deed on the campus and in the greater world. Students and faculty pursue academic rigor and service in an atmosphere of close-knit relationships, serious work, spirited enjoyment of life, and uncommon mutual support.

At Gustavus, students receive personal attention in small-sized classes and engage in collaborative research with their professors. The College is fully accredited and known for its academic excellence and strong music, science, writing, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning programs. We maintain a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and are widely admired for our annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference-an event devoted to topics relating to human rights and social justice.

Gustavus is internationally recognized for its annual Nobel Conference. This signature event was launched in 1965 following a gathering on campus of 26 Nobel laureates for the dedication of the Nobel Hall of Science in 1963. The conference brings cutting-edge science issues to the attention of the public, engages world-renowned science speakers, and provides opportunities to explore the moral and societal impact of scientific issues.

Gustavus has always prized community and has been marked by a pervasive sense of concern for every member of the College community. Civility, mutual respect, cooperation, shared governance, and caring have long been hallmarks of the College. Freedom to express a broad range of ideas is central to our sense of community, and resolution of conflicts in the broader society has long been a fundamental concern for us.

Gustavus has a commitment to high quality, even to excellence, in all that we do. In the words of Eric Norelius, founder of the College, "Whatever we do, let us do it well." Given our other values, it should be clear that this commitment to excellence is neither a code word for elitism nor a rejection of the best in Gustavus's heritage. Indeed, our distinctive heritage demands nothing less than excellence.

Gustavus holds the conviction that religious faith enriches and informs learning and is a fundamental notion underpinning our emphasis on community, ethics, and service. While strongly Lutheran in tradition and character, conformity to that specific faith tradition is not expected. In it mission statement, the College does declare an intent to develop in students "a mature understanding of the Christian faith". People of all faiths are welcomed and engaged here.

The Swedish and religious heritage of Gustavus, specifically its Lutheran roots and bonds, have ensured that justice and fairness are primary institutional values. The College strives to be a just community in all of its actions and to educate its students for morally responsible lives. Relations within the College community are guided by high moral principles, and those graduating from Gustavus are expected to understand the full moral implications of their actions.

The College values service as an objective of life and of education. We embrace the notion that true leadership expresses itself in service to others, and affirm the classical ideal of a liberating education, an education that frees one to serve God and humanity to the best of one's ability.