Location: Los Angeles, California
Enrollment: 1,868 (1,846 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; diverse student body; blend of urban and suburban advantages -- located just eight miles from downtown Los Angeles
For more information and admissions data, visit the Occidental College profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Occidental
Pepperdine University
John Beagle / Flickr
Location: Malibu, California
Enrollment: 7,614 (3,404 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private research university
Distinctions: 830-acre campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Malibu; strong programs in business and communications; member of the NCAA Division I West Coast Conference; affiliated with the Churches of Christ
For more information and admissions data, visit the Pepperdine University profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Pepperdine
Pomona College
CMLLovesDegus / Wikimedia Commons
Location: Claremont, California
Enrollment: 1,547 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: one of the 10 top liberal arts colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; member of the Claremont Colleges; 8 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 14
For more information and admissions data, visit the Pomona College profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Pomona
Scripps College
Mllerustad / Flickr
Location: Claremont, California
Enrollment: 972 (954 undergrads)
Type of Institution: private women's liberal arts college
Distinctions: one of the top women's colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; member of the Claremont Colleges
For more information and admissions data, visit the Scripps College profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Scripps
Stanford University
jillclardy / Flickr
Location: Stanford, California
Enrollment: 19,782 (6,584 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private research university
Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; one of the top 10 universities in the country; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference
For more information and admissions data, visit the Stanford University profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Stanford
UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles)
saturnism / flickr
Location: Los Angeles, California
Enrollment: 37,476 (25,928 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public research university
Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; part of the University of California system; one of the top-ranked public universities in the country; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference
Explore the Campus: UCLA photo tour
For more information and admissions data, visit the UCLA profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCLA
UCSD (University of California at San Diego)
kafka4prez / Flickr
Location: San Diego, California
Enrollment: 26,247 (21,369 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public research university
Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappafor strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; part of the University of California system; one of the top-ranked public universities in the country; one of the top-ranked engineering schools
For more information and admissions data, visit the UCSD profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCSD
USC (University of Southern California)
koyochi / Flickr
Location: Los Angeles, California
Enrollment: 33,408 (16,384 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private research university
Distinctions: member of the Association of American Universities for its research strengths; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; over 130 majors to choose from; member of the NCAA Division I Pac 12 Conference
Explore the Campus: USC Photo Tour
For more information and admissions data, visit the USC profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for USC
Top Maryland Colleges
15 of the Top Colleges in Maryland
By Allen Grove
Maryland has excellent higher education options for both public and private institutions. From a large public university like the University of Maryland to tiny St. John's College, Maryland has schools to match a wide range of student personalities and interests. The 15 top Maryland colleges listed below represent diverse school types and missions, so I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking. That said, Johns Hopkins is the most selective and prestigious institution on the list. The schools were chosen based on factors such as academic reputation, curricular innovations, first-year retention rates, six-year graduation rates, selectivity, financial aid and student engagement.
Annapolis (United States Naval Academy)
Rory Finneren / Flickr
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Enrollment: 4,552 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: miltary academy
Distinctions: one of the most selective colleges in the country; no costs (but 5-year service requirement); strong engineering programs; competes in the NCAA Division I Patriot League
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Annapolis profile.
Goucher College
Photo Credit: Tom McDowell
Location: Towson, Maryland
Enrollment: 2,279 (1,481 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; new $48 million student center; eight miles from downtown Baltimore; chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society for strong programs in the liberal arts and sciences
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Goucher College profile.
Hood College
Sarah Camp / Flickr
|