The magazine U.S. News and World Report recently issued its annual rankings of the best colleges and universities in the United States. In addition to its rankings of the best national universities and liberal arts colleges, the magazine ranks regional colleges and universities and also the nation’s women’s colleges.
Among the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, Wellesley College in Massachusetts was ranked seventh overall, behind only Williams College, Amherst College, Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, the U.S. Naval Academy, Bowdoin College in Maine, and Pomona College in California. This is a small decrease from last year when Wellesley College tied for fifth place.
Barnard College in New York City and Smith College in Massachusetts tied for 14th place with Davidson College in North Carolina, Hamilton College in New York, and Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Compared to last year, Barnard’s ranking dropped slightly from 11th place and Smith College’s ranking increased from 16th place.
Other women’s colleges listed among the top 50 best liberal arts schools in the country included Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania at 29th place, Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts at 34th place, Spelman College in Georgia at 40th place, and Scripps College in California at 44th place.