I downloaded the file of the schools and initially eliminated them if they did not have space for freshmen, did not award financial aid (this took out international schools), and lacked housing. Keep in mind that awarding aid might mean offering the standard loan or it could actually mean the school will discount tuition in some capacity.
After I eliminated those schools which were not listed in either the Princeton Review’s Best 380 Colleges and/or with the USNWR. For national universities the school had to be ranked in the top 160, liberal arts colleges needed to be in the top 134, regional universities in the top 30, and regional colleges in the top 10 (frankly, most of the colleges listed in this category are average, at best). There are a few schools that missed the arbitrary cutoffs but I included anyways. I did not use the Fiske Guide to Colleges as my copy is from 2013 and the full list of schools included is not available online like with the PR’s Best 380.
Here are the schools that made the cut:
-Asbury University (Christian LAC)
-Augustana University (South Dakota)
-Bellarmine University
-Berry College (The list has this in South Carolina, but Berry College is actually in Georgia)
-Birmingham-Southern College
-Bradley University
-California Institute of the Arts (this is a special exception since CalArts is a specialty school and an extremely highly regarded one at that)
-California Lutheran University
-Carroll College
-Centenary College of Louisiana (I’m cautious about recommending this one owing to some probable financial challenges in the near future)
-Christian Brothers University
-DePauw University
-Dominican University of California
-Florida Southern College
-Green Mountain College (environmental school)
-Grove City College (Christian LAC)
-Guilford College
-Hampshire College
-Hofstra University
-Houghton College (Christian LAC)
-Illinois State University
-Jacobs University Bremen (Special exception. German school that I’ve read is quite academically intense)
-John Carroll University
-Juaniata College
-Kettering University (Special exception. Has an outstanding hands on engineering program)
-Knox College
-La Salle University
-Lake Forest College
-Lawrence University
-Linfield College
-Lipscomb University (Christian university)
-Loyola University Maryland
-Loyola University New Orleans
-Luther College
-Lynchburg College
-Marietta College
-Messiah College (Christian LAC)
-Michigan Technological University
-Mills College (all women LAC in Oakland, CA)
-Monmouth (NJ)
-New College of Florida
-Ohio Wesleyan University
-Oregon State University
-Pacific Lutheran University
-Pacific University
-Penn State University (is this a listing error?)
-Presbyterian College
-Prescott College (sort of an environmental LAC)
-Queens University of Charlotte
-Randolf-Macon College (not Randolf College, also in VA)
-Regis University
-Ripon College
=============================================================================
I have to go back to doing work now. I’ll post the rest later tonight.
Ack how did I miss some of those ^^ on my dinky list! New College of Florida? Gee, such an interesting school. (To which my S would not apply because it’s “in the South.” Hello? As in “on the beach”? I doubt very much that location is typically seen as a negative for them.)
Thought for the Class of '17: I wonder if schools who regularly make this list might be open to increasing FA offers as May 1 approaches. I’m not thinking about late applicants, but about accepted students who might be attracted to certain schools but found the FA to be less than ideal. Perhaps a low yield comes from low FA capacity, but then again, maybe not – and it’d be worth a shot, I’d think. Anyway that’s a thought for the future.
Since Penn State UP announced a near-record number of incoming freshmen, I think most if not all openings would be at branch campuses.
Penn State is rolling admissions, so technically they may have some spots open, but not in the more competitive colleges or, as kidzncatz said, campuses. Housing at UP is first-come-first-serve anyway, and anyone committing now is almost guaranteed to get supplemental (3 to 7 roommates).
Mizzou’s freshman class is down 20-something % from last year due to all the campus “events” of the last year. My DS wont even consider it.
What struck me was how many “Colleges thatchange lives” schools were on the list. I assumed those schools were getting tons of interest due to the publicity and the merit they give out
Maybe on CC, but not necessarily in the world at large. I think part of what drove that list was that those schools were under-appreciated gems.
The thing about CTCL schools is that they won’t appeal to many students interested in a traditional university experience. Several are very small with an untraditional bent (New College of Florida - written narratives), others are good schools but in rather unfortunate locations (Lawrence was a bit too far north and cold for my daughter), Hampshire is commonly mentioned but it also has an unconventional curriculum structure that may turn off many applicants. The St. Johns Colleges (Annapolis, New Mexico) also have a very unconventional curriculum (Great Books) Not a CTCL but I can see Prescott having the same issue.
In [Post 20](Colleges With Openings for Fall 2016 [NACAC Annual List] - #21 by whenhen - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums) I started consolidating the list of schools based factors I deemed important.
Here are the other schools that made my cut. As a reminder, the criteria is that a school must be included in the Princeton Review’s Best 380 Colleges and/or in the USNWR. The USNWR criteria is as follows: (a) national universities rank >= 160, (b) liberal arts college rank >= 134, (c) regional universities >= 30, (d) regional colleges >= 10. I included a few schools which did not make that cut but are none the less noteworthy in some capacity.
-Roanoke College
-Rockhurst University
-Saint Louis University (the Madrid campus is also open which sounds awesome)
-Saint Mary’s College (IN)
-Saint Mary’s College of California
-Shimer College (special exception. Great books college)
-South Dakota School of Mines (special exception. Small, cheap engineering focused school)
-Spring Hill College
-St. Catherine University
-St. John’s College (Great books schools in NM and MD)
-St. Mary’s College of Maryland (public LAC)
-St. Norbert College
-Stetson University
-Suffolk University
-Catholic University of America
-Culinary Institute of America (special exception)
-Evergreen State College
-New School
-University of Utah (getting in state tuition is rather easy here)
-Truman State University
-University of Arizona
-University of Dayton
-University of Detroit Mercy
-University of Idaho
-University of Indianapolis
-University of La Verne
-University of Missouri
-University of Mount Union
-University of North Dakota
-University of Oregon
-University of Redlands
-University of San Diego
-University of South Dakota
-University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
-Ursinus College
-Valparaiso University
-West Virginia University
-Westminster College ¶
-Westmont College (Christian school)
-Wittenberg University
-Xavier University (OH)
What about SUNYs?
SUNY Buffalo State NY Yes Yes Public 10,000-14,999 Yes Yes Contact Info
SUNY Delhi NY Yes Yes Public 1,000-4,999 Yes Yes Contact Info
SUNY Oneonta NY Yes Yes Public 5,000-9,999 Yes Yes Contact Info
SUNY Potsdam NY Yes Yes Public 1,000-4,999 Yes Yes Contact Info
Also Fredonia and Farmingdale
Sweet Briar?
- Gorgeous
- Women’s engineering–almost a tutorial and ABET accredited
- Amazingly strong alumni network
Sweet Briar is working hard to make the most of its recent revival. It topped 1000 applicants this year, more than in the past 50 years. It’s such a great school. Pink bicycles for anyone to use, any place on campus. So there’s that . .
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2016/04/sweet-briar-womens-colleges-relevance
@SeekingPam What about the SUNYs?
@Dustyfeathers Calling Sweet Briar a great school might have been appropriate 20 years ago, but the school is currently in disarray. According to [Inside Higher Ed](Sweet Briar falls short of initial enrollment target, but leaders remain optimistic), the school originally wanted 250 students to deposit by May 1. This was later revised down to 200 students. However, only 125 students actually sent in a deposit which will likely cause further chaos for the school’s finances. Additionally, next year Sweet Briar will again undergo its ABET accreditation review. I wouldn’t be surprised if its accreditation is pulled owing to the mass exodus of professors.
@whenhen there are several on the list if anyone is interested as I specified
Isn’t SUNY Oneonta the sort of honors LAC of the SUNY system, or do I have the wrong place in mind? I am surprised that they would lack applicants.
I noted that some good LACs that have been on the list in many years aren’t there this year, notably Eckerd and College of Wooster.
@Consolation You’re thinking of SUNY Geneseo. SUNY Oneonta tends to [attract very average](College Navigator - SUNY Oneonta) students.
@whenhen The average SUNY Oneonta student has a 3.6 gpa and 25 ACT, which is the 80th percentile, not “very average students”.
Source?
According to the school’s own data, only 37% of students submitted their ACT scores. The 25th percentile score was a 22 while the 75th percentile was a 25. There is no way that the average is a 25 ACT.
For the 91% that submitted their SAT scores, the 25th percentiles were 490 CR and 510 M and the 75th percentile were 580 CR and 590 M.
Yes, it was Geneseo that I was thinking of. Whoops! 
SUNY Oneonta is a fine school for many, with a bit of room for more. Cant we leave it at that?
SUNY Purchase is on today!
Evergreen State!