Occidental is a small liberal arts school in Los Angeles, California with just over 2,000 undergraduate students. Classes are generally small: 90% of them have less than 30 students and the average class size is 18 students. The acceptance rate hovers around 37%.

Lafayette College is a small private liberal arts school in Easton, Pennsylvania. Lafayette is known for its strong academics, emphasis on study abroad, and a storied football rivalry with nearby Lehigh University. If you’re interested in a small school experience — Lafayette has 2,610 students — but don’t want to miss out on some seriously exciting games, Lafayette may be a perfect fit. The acceptance rate is about 28%  

Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri. The university is home to a total of 15,400 students, 7,700 of whom are enrolled in undergraduate programs. The motto of WashU is Per Veritatem Vis, or “Strength through Truth.” This is a fitting motto for an institution where the search for truth through research isn’t just encouraged — it’s practically mandatory. WashU’s reputation for excellent research opportunities has made it a top choice for students pursuing the humanities and the sciences alike. WashU is also ranked in the top-10 schools in the country for entrepreneurs, financial resources, campus food, the administration, and their dorms. If you’re thinking of going pre-med, you’re in luck too. The pre-med program at WashU is highly respected nationally.

The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts school in Richmond, Virginia. Nestled in the heart of the South, U of Richmond is a relatively small (around 3,500 undergrad), suburban campus. Business is among its most popular majors, along with general liberal arts and humanities. The school has an acceptance rate of 33%.

Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The school boasts the most beautiful campus of 2019 as judged by Princeton Review — an authority on college academics, admissions, and, apparently, landscaping. Approximately 92% of the 3,600 undergraduate students take full advantage of this by choosing to live on campus as they pursue a mix of liberal arts and pre-professional programs. The acceptance rate is 34%.

Villanova is private Catholic school in Villanova, PA. Roughly 6,500 undergraduates attend the school. Villanova has a highly ranked nursing program and students are die-hard Villanova basketball fans. The acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 27.7%

Rice University is a private research university in Houston, Texas. Rice is a medium-sized school with 3,962 undergraduate students and is known for being academically and socially excellent. It is rated #2 in the nation for student quality of life and #14 for best universities in the nation by The Princeton Review.

The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is frequently referred to as a “public Ivy.” It might not be an official title, but it does say a lot. William and Mary is highly respected, provides an educational experience of an Ivy caliber, but with the benefit of being more accessible. If you live in Virginia, you even get the added benefit of in-state tuition. The 6,400 undergraduate student body is big enough to offer something for nearly anyone while small enough to provide a community that is known for being close-knit and supportive. William and Mary’s emphasis on undergraduate research is also a huge selling point.

The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university in Austin, Texas and one of the top public colleges in the United States.

Scripps College is an all-women’s liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It is a small school comprised of only 1048 undergraduate students. Scripps is one of the 5C’s — the consortium of colleges in Claremont that allow students to flow between them for many courses and some programs of study.