Ranked first by both "U.S. News and World Report" and "Forbes" in academic reputation, as well as No. 5 for "Most Accessible Professors" by "The Princeton Review," this private liberal arts college has three main academic divisions -- humanities, sciences and social sciences. Established in 1793 in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Williams College provides undergraduate degrees in 36 majors, including anthropology, art, economics, English, history, music, philosophy, physics, psychology, Spanish, theater and many others. The college also provides master's degrees in history of art. The school "commits to meeting 100 percent of every admitted student's demonstrated financial need for four years," with most receiving an average of $40,000 a year in financial aid.
Founded in 1821, Amherst College sits at No. 2 on the "U.S. News and World Report" and "Forbes" lists, though "Forbes" ranks it third overall and "The Princeton Review" names it best in the Northeast. As a private liberal arts college in the Massachusetts city that shares its name, Amherst offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in 36 fields of study, which include art and art history, biology, chemistry, English, geology, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, religion and Spanish. Amherst does not offer graduate degrees, but undergraduates can complete honors theses in their field. Students receive financial aid through scholarships, grants and student loans, and the average financial aid package awarded is $40,952.
According to "Forbes" and "U.S. News and World Report," Swarthmore College comes in at No. 3, while "The Princeton Review" ranks it seventh in a list of schools where "Students Study the Most." Established in 1864 in the Pennsylvania city that later came to share its name, the college provides undergraduate degrees in art and art history, biology, cognitive science, dance, economics, English literature, environmental studies, film and media studies, a number of modern languages, music, physics, public policy and many others. Swarthmore offers honors programs, rather than graduate degrees. Seventy percent of students receive aid through scholarships, grants, loans or work opportunities.
Farther down on the "Forbes" list, Middlbury College comes in 26th, but "U.S. News and World Report" and "The Princeton Review" give it high marks for its selectivity and study-abroad programs, ranking it No. 4 and 3, respectively. Founded in its namesake Vermont city in 1800, the college offers 44 majors in subjects, such as Arabic, biology, dance, economics, English and U.S. literature, environmental studies, film and media culture, German, international studies, music, political science and studio art. Graduate programs include master's degrees in languages such as Chinese, French and German. Middlebury provides "need-based" aid to qualifying students through funded scholarships, grants and loans, with the average need-based grant for the Class of 2014 at $32,484.