Christian liberal arts colleges are a great option for students seeking a higher education that combines faith with a well-rounded undergraduate experience. The best Christian liberal arts colleges are schools that offer a diverse set of degree programs and personalized instruction through a Christian lens.
Students interested in a faith-based education have sometimes pondered whether Christian colleges are more expensive than other institutions of higher learning. The answer is yes; Christian liberal arts colleges and universities cost substantially more than public colleges and universities. However, Christian liberal arts colleges, compared to secular private schools, are less expensive and provide better benefits.
Christian liberal arts colleges provide several benefits, making them very attractive to Christian and non-Christian students.
Christian schools are typically less expensive than secular ones despite being private organizations. This is due to the school’s priority of reducing obstacles to a faith-based education over having expensive tuition.
Christian institutions have larger endowments that individual donors sponsor with ample funds, while secular colleges rely significantly on tuition and fees each student pays.
Christian college students also typically finish their degrees faster than students at other institutions, which eliminates the need for tuition for at least one full academic term.
Despite high tuition and fees, an education from a Christian liberal arts college or university is worth it. However, it is not for everyone. But a Christian college or university may be the best option if you firmly commit to your faith and want your higher education to be concentrated on it. It might offer a beneficial educational setting with a solid biblical foundation.
Students feel isolated and uncomfortable during their first year of study, especially non-residents, since they’re adjusting to a new atmosphere, which may be dissimilar from their familiar one at home. The advantage of attending Christian institutions is that students are more likely to establish friends and develop strong bonds with people who share their religious beliefs.
Staff and faculty at a Christian liberal arts college or university are committed to supporting students’ professional success while serving as mentors and close friends. In addition to furthering one’s knowledge, attending college allows one to interact with other Christians and live out their faith.
Since students pay a high price for their education, a private Christian college maintains a small, average student-to-faculty ratio. The biggest one might be a tenth the size of a state’s public institution.
Numerous benefits come with a smaller student body. Students receiving individualized attention and attaining a more personalized liberal arts education is one of the major benefits of attending Christian liberal arts colleges and universities. Additionally, this creates a tight-knit community, which often results in high student retention rates.
You shouldn’t have to choose between your studies and your beliefs when it comes to college life. You can learn new things in various topics, such as science, history, and art, while having your faith integrated into the setting of your studies if you attend a Christian liberal arts college.
Christian college students have many opportunities to experience life beyond the classroom. Christian college students may benefit from volunteer work, studying abroad, and professional internships.
Christian college students frequently embark on domestic and foreign mission trips to share the gospel with various individuals. Students develop essential life skills, such as independence, social competence, and clear communication.
Contrary to popular belief that a Christian school will prevent you from having the chance to interact with a wide range of people, students have the opportunity to interact with students of all year levels. Christian students come from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic origins, yet they all have a common belief in God and the same religion.
Attending a Christian university can expose you to a wide range of people from all over the world, many of whom have inspiring conversion stories. You’ll broaden your perspective and gain a greater understanding of the diversity in the world around you by hearing these stories and relating to them.
Christian colleges are private, independent schools that receive their funding through a combination of endowment income and student tuition fees, as well as in some cases through denominational giving. The best Christian colleges in America will create learning opportunities that balance academic inquiry with Christian faith and tradition. For many students, Christian college also represents the chance to earn an undergraduate degree in a wholesome environment among classmates who share a common set of Christian values.
Some will argue that many of these technically Christian schools no longer actively advocate Christian values, and that they are as secularized as any secular university. If that is your concern, we have ranked Christian colleges and universities that meet the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU standards for promoting Christian values on campus.
Back to TopChristian colleges come in all shapes and sizes, from highly observant religious institutions to largely secular schools steeped in Christian history and tradition. As you seek the right school, it’s entirely possible that your search will lead you to a Christian college. The primary reason a non-Christian might enroll in a Christian college is because it may be a good academic, financial, and cultural match regardless of its religious affiliation.
Back to TopOften referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.
Read more about the differences between research universities and liberal arts colleges.
Back to TopThe following list of the best Christian liberal arts colleges consists entirely of liberal arts colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified a total of 486 Christian liberal arts colleges in the US. In order to be included in this ranking list of best Christian colleges and universities, a schools must be regionally accredited, classified as a liberal arts college, and it must self-identify as being a Christian institution.
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
43%
Graduation
93%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1360/30
College of the Holy Cross’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$38K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
77%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1210/26
Calvin University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
31%
Graduation
90%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1365/31
Macalester College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$23K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
68%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1104/21
Ashland University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
81%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/26
Hope College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$41K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
88%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1330/29
Wheaton College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
81%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1225/26
University of Portland’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
84%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1265/28
Fairfield University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
88%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1345/30
Lafayette College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
77%
Student body
4K
Manhattan College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
18%
Graduation
90%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1380/31
Davidson College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
76%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/25
John Carroll University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
34%
Graduation
80%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1335/30
Trinity University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
81%
Student body
5K
Loyola University Maryland’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
70%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1107/23
Niagara University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
73%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1220/26
Earlham College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
62%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1095/24
Iona University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
89%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1285/29
Providence College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
64%
Student body
1K
Ohio Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
74%
Student body
2K
Drew University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
75%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/25
Xavier University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
85%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1310/29
Rhodes College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
50%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1075/22
Xavier University of Louisiana’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
80%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/27
Sewanee: The University of the South’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
58%
Student body
4K
La Salle University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
71%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/24
Canisius University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
83%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/26
Saint Joseph's University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
60%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/24
Abilene Christian University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
72%
Student body
2K
Wagner College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
64%
Student body
2K
Wittenberg University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
65%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1110/23
Hamline University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
59%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1120/23
St. Mary's University, Texas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
76%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/24
Le Moyne College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
72%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/26
University of Dallas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
47%
Graduation
85%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/28
St. Olaf College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
73%
Student body
1K
Hendrix College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$41K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
77%
Student body
3K
Siena College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
68%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/27
Florida Southern College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
55%
Graduation
52%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/20
Dillard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
78%
Student body
2K
Gustavus Adolphus College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
68%
Student body
2K
Eckerd College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
79%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1190/25
University of Scranton’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
69%
Student body
2K
University of Evansville’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
88%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1236/27
Grove City College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
70%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/25
High Point University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
59%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/23
Oral Roberts University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
76%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1210/25
Ohio Northern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
85%
Student body
2K
Stonehill College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
73%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1161/24
Saint Mary's College of California’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
52%
Graduation
80%
Student body
2K
Wofford College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
You know that the best Christian colleges will combine an excellent education with Christian faith and tradition.
A Christian college will allow you to earn an undergraduate degree among classmates who share your Christian values. If attending a school near home is also important to you, check out our Complete List of Colleges and Universities by State.
Check out the College Admissions Process Guide for additional tips on finding, applying to, and getting into the college of your choice.
See our Resources Guide for much more on studying, starting your job search, and more.
Photo Credit: College of the Holy Cross, Carlin Hall. By Taliskerbay, via Wikimedia Commons, CC by 3.0.