Oregon provides some wonderful choices for students looking for high quality higher education. The colleges and universities in the state include both private and public institutions with some of them having religious affiliations. The student populations of these reputable colleges range from 1,500 to 20,000. With high value placed on academics, notable extracurricular strengths, and impressively low student to faculty ratios, many of these schools rank high in the list of top Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States.
Lewis and Clark College is a highly selective private Liberal Arts College, with a moderate acceptance rate. This college is known for its strong majors in the social sciences and also excellent efforts towards community service.
Linfield College has a religious affiliation to the Baptist church. This school is in McMinnville, and has a relatively high acceptance rate. This is also one of the oldest colleges in the Pacific Northwest and is known for its friendly, supportive community. Diversity is given strong focus at Linfield College with its students hailing from 47 states and 15 countries, all involved in community activities as well as student body events and activities around the campus.
Reed College is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. It is also known for operating the nation’s only undergraduate-managed nuclear reactor. Reed has an average class size of 15, a 10 to 1 student to faculty ratio, and is relatively selective.
Willamette University is situated in Salem. Established in 1842, this is known as the first university in the Western United States. Though it has had a strong affiliation to the Methodist church from the very beginning, Willamette University has been providing solid, culturally and religiously unbiased education to students all along. This school has a chapter in the Phi Beta Kappa for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences.
Overall, Oregon’s Liberal Arts Colleges have been showing steady improvement in the quality of education provided over the years with reports claiming that Oregon’s colleges fare best in the US News College rankings. For students who are lovers of the rainy Pacific Northwest and would love a wonderful environment conducive to academic pursuits in the liberal arts arena, Oregon is the place to look.