How do Liberal Arts Schools Compare to the Ivy League?

Liberal arts colleges are often overlooked when compared to their larger university counterparts. While they are no less academically challenging or difficult to get into, they are frequently not considered by students, simply because they are less well known. Everyone has heard of Harvard; fewer have heard of Amherst. 

In this article, we’re going to see how these schools actually measure up, and if the environment offered by a liberal arts college may suit you better than that offered by a larger school. We’re also going to do some direct comparisons between top liberal arts colleges, and Ivy League schools. Let’s jump in!

What are the “Little Ivies?”

As the Ivy League was founded, and became associated with academic excellence, it immediately drew comparisons from other groups of elite schools. One of the earliest, and most obvious, were liberal arts colleges. Like the Ivy League, these schools were primarily based in the Northeast, were very old institutions, and had a long tradition of elite academics and an association with turning out an upper crust of graduates. 

Indeed, both sets of schools were also associated with the same sets of boarding and college preparatory schools in the region; students who went to a feeder school may then go on to either a small liberal arts college, or one of the bigger universities, and view both as acceptable options. 

Finally, there were some direct associations, as many of the Ivy League schools had direct partnerships with liberal arts colleges as women’s schools before they allowed women to enroll directly. These partnerships ended over time, but the association between liberal arts colleges and the Ivy League persisted. 

This was then typified in the name “Little Ivies,”which designated that these schools were far smaller than their Ivy League counterparts, but of a similar stature. They were academically competitive, had large endowments, and regularly sent graduates on to prestigious careers in academia, government, and business. 

This is not an official league, and whether or not a school counts as a “Little Ivy” is somewhat arbitrary. The term is most associated with the schools in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), but this is not a one-to-one comparison. The schools which are generally considered to be among the Little Ivies are:

• Amherst College
• Bates College
• Bowdoin College
• Bucknell University
• Colby College
• Colgate University
• Connecticut College
• Hamilton College
• Haverford College
• Lafayette College
• Middlebury College
• Swarthmore College
• Trinity College
• Tufts University
• Union College
• Vassar College
• Wesleyan University
• Williams College

Some of these do have “university” in their name, but just as Dartmouth College is technically a university, these universities are technically colleges. In both cases, the names are a mere historical artifact, held onto for reasons of tradition, and to confuse prospective students. 

How do the Little Ivies Compare to the Ivy League

In general they are quite similar. Geographically, they have the same spread, being concentrated in the Northeast US. Many, but not all, are located in New England proper. Most have relatively large endowments, especially for their size, but this does vary greatly between the schools. They are quite competitive for admissions, and extremely selective in terms of what students they choose to admit. 

The networking opportunities afforded by the Little Ivies are often high quality. While they do not have alumni networks at the same scale as larger schools, much like the Ivy League, the graduates they do produce often go on to quite impressive careers, and are willing to give back to their alma mater. The Little Ivies are among the schools outside of the Ivy League which can act as feeders to top Wall Street firms and law schools, though this is far more variable depending on the school in question. 

Not all of the Little Ivies are of the same quality. The Ivy League is a set group of schools. Sure, it is primarily an athletic association, but they still can decide who is a member and who isn’t, and the solidity of the association raises the status of all members. The Little Ivies are more nebulous, and not all schools which are considered a Little Ivy have the same standards, or the same results. There are no truly bad schools among them, simply that not all of them are truly elite. 

As a final point, most liberal arts colleges do not offer engineering coursework. There are some exceptions, but this is the case across all of the Little Ivies. If you want to study engineering, you can take part in a joint program, but most students choose instead to study elsewhere. 

Comparing Harvard vs Amherst

Harvard is not definitively the best university in the country, but it is always going to be in the running for that top spot. In the same way, Amherst is not universally recognized as the best liberal arts college, but it is always in the conversation when discussing who is. These two schools are each in the very top percentile of their respective categories, but how do they compare directly?

The first, and most obvious, difference is that Amherst is significantly smaller than Harvard. The Ivy League (with the exception of Cornell), are already seen as some of the smaller universities in the country, frequently playing host to far more graduate students than undergrads. This makes sense; when compared to the massive campuses and populations of the larger state schools, Harvard seems quite small. This is, however, a relative measure.

Liberal arts colleges are generally speaking the smallest of the four-year higher education establishments. There are some very small universities; Caltech is notable, but when viewed as a whole, you will have fewer classmates, and know a higher percentage of the people around you at a liberal arts college like Amherst. 

Culture-wise, we should note that Amherst is a school with a very strong focus on athletics, especially for a school of its size. While Amherst is a DIII school, athletic talent is considered in admissions decisions for up to 35% of each incoming class. Harvard cares about athletics too, to be sure, but as a share of students, Amherst is far more engaged in the pursuit of sport. 

Finally, Amherst offers fewer courses of study than Harvard. They simply have fewer professors, and can fund fewer departments. You can still explore most fields at Amherst, but you should be sure; if you are looking for something niche, or to pursue engineering at all, this may not be the right choice for you.

Comparing Williams College vs Yale

Williams college is constantly competing with Amherst for the top spot, both academically and athletically. They are not an exact analogue to Harvard and Yale, but the parallels between them are easily seen. By the numbers the comparisons between Yale and WIlliams are reminiscent of the ones between Harvard and Amherst: 

The biggest difference between Williams and Yale is, unsurprisingly, size. This will repeat for almost any university compared to a liberal arts college, but is still worth remarking on, because the size of a school very much impacts its character. Williams is the size of some particularly large high schools; you may not know all of your classmates, but you are likely to meet a significant percentage of them. 

The number of majors is also significantly reduced at Williams. They have a few core academic areas they focus in strongly, without the broad spread seen at some universities. They are quite strong academically in those areas, but if you are interested in other fields, then Williams may not be the best choice for you. 

The general feeling on the campuses of each is somewhat similar, though Williamstown is a smaller setting than New Haven, and less urbanized in its environs. They are both solidly New England schools, with long heritages and traditions, and both are quite proud of said traditions. 

Comparing Wesleyan vs Brown

There is a common joke among students at Wesleyan that anyone who doesn’t get into Brown goes to Wesleyan. This is, of course, not entirely accurate, but it does give a sense of the relationship between the schools, and the fact that students at both feel they are quite similar in atmosphere, and who they attract. A by-the-numbers comparison reveals some similarities: 

The most striking difference between the two schools, aside from size, is how much easier it is to get accepted into Wesleyan. Not that a 17% acceptance rate is easy by any means, but it is still three times higher than Brown’s rate. This is something we see across the board at liberal arts colleges; their acceptance rates are not exactly sky high, but they are higher than their counterparts in the Ivy League. 

This is due primarily to popularity and name recognition. Fewer students apply to Wesleyan than Brown in large part because far fewer students have heard of Wesleyan. This does not make the Little Ivies in any way worse than their counterparts, and may be a point in their favor for some students, who worry about the very low acceptance rates of some Ivy League schools.

Culturally, these two schools are somewhat similar. While many colleges have a reputation for a liberal bent among their student body, Brown and Wesleyan are particularly known for this. While there are conservatives at both schools, they are overwhelmingly liberal even by the standards of top colleges. This is not inherently good or bad, but is useful to know for students considering whether or not they would enjoy attending the school. 

Final Thoughts

Liberal arts colleges are often overlooked by students building a college list, simply because they don’t know of any, or what they can offer. This is in spite of the fact that many top universities offer the same liberal arts education typified by these smaller schools. This doesn’t mean every student will be well-served by a smaller program, but you should know the option exists. 

We hope this article has given you a solid introduction to some of the country’s top liberal arts colleges, and how they compare to their Ivy League counterparts. If you’re looking for further advice on finding the right colleges for you, or applying to them once you do, schedule a free consultation today. We have a long experience helping students with their applications, and are always happy to hear from you.