Definitely Washington & Lee. It’s the best match for the criteria that you suggested.
Wake Forest is not conservative, nor is it liberal. It is well balanced. The majority of the students at UNC are registered democrats. Boston College, Georgetown and Notre Dame tend to be relatively conservative, but still lean well left of center. There aren’t many top colleges and universities that have a conservative majority or a distinctly conservative vibe/culture. Washington & Lee is probably the exception.
Some other moderately conservative colleges and universities that also happen to be good:
Baylor University
Brigham Young University
Clemson University
Hillsdale College
Liberty University
Oral Roberts University
Southern Methodist University
Texas A&M University-College Station
University of Alabama
University of Mississippi
Wheaton College (Illinois)
A 28 ACT and a 3.6 GPA are not competetive for Washington & Lee, probably won’t make the first cut. And it’s not as conservative as people think, despite its name and location.
Berry college in GA if you want an outdoors scene. Largest campus in america -it is like a big nature preserve.
BC
At a college admissions panel discussion, a BC admissions rep joked he was looking to recruit more Democrats. Now I wouldn’t necessarily call BC conservative, but you’ll certainly find Republicans there.
Sewanee: The University of the South. Good mix of moderates and conservatives. Very few agitators of either end of the spectrum.
Not only are most students at UNC registered democrats ( I did not know this but it would not surprise me)…it’s also a politically active campus. Organized ( and quiet) protests, guest speakers, big refugee community that is actively involved with the students etc. HUGE effort ( Democrat Club) on campus to get people registered to vote … etc. Putting this college on a list of conservative schools is as silly as a cow on the loose in Brooklyn ( happened recently and made me chuckle).
Washington and Lee sounds like a good fit.? … but it’s a reach for this student and I don’t know exactly how conservative it is. Maybe U of Richmond? I also like the idea of Clemson.
@twogirls The OP wasn’t necessarily looking at colleges that are conservative, but colleges that aren’t adverse to the politically right.
Also apologies, but Trinity College (CT) was NOT meant to be on that list. I got it confused with Wheaton College (IL).
@Bohseon George Mason’s economic department and law school r very conservative, have many libertarian-leaning professors. From wiki “George Mason University is a Virginia-based public university near Washington, D.C. A “magnet for right-wing money” and heavily Koch-funded, it is notable for hosting over 40 libertarian research centers and affiliates including the Institute for Humane Studies and the Mercatus Center.”
@Muad_dib, students have responded on College Niche that 33% identify as Republicans and 78% identify as Conservative or Very Conservative - that is significant. That said, a 28 ACT and 3.6 GPA isn’t going to be accepted at W&L - as a unhooked applicant a 32 would be the minimum.
Colgate, Boston College
Traditional-age college students, and that age group overall, tend to be more left leaning. Democratic voter registration among that age group is substantially greater than Republican voter registration, although registered with no party may be the plurality.
The economics dept at Loyola New Orleans is of the libertarian Austrian school of economics. Campus as a whole skews left, in a Jesuity way.
I am not sure you can characterize Colgate as “conservative”. What is the basis for it?
Like many elite northeast LACs, Colgate students and faculty are liberal-leaning, as I have observed first hand.
^^ maybe socially, but Colgate has a very preppy vibe and I would imagine it leans more fiscally conservative.
@collegecurious49
It don’t think schools are averse to republican ideas. The issue for students of all views is that colleges will expect you to support views with facts, and reason, and expect the same from others. If you can do that, you will be fine at any school. If you can’t do that, you are better off at Liberty U or Oral Roberts.
“… leans more fiscally conservative”? Not sure what that means since there is no data or context apart from views on dress.
Colgate students learn to find their own way. Consequently, and they don’t “lean”. It’s each to his/her own and it’s personal. Individuals evolve and they learn to think for themselves. Irrespective of their parents’ ideologies.
The mission statement speaks for itself. That’s how LACs serve the community: open-mindedness and scholarship in the company of top class faculty and caring administrators.
Go ‘gate!
This.
Also, labels are not very helpful nowadays. It depends how you define “conservative.” William-Buckley-type conservative? Jack-Kemp-type conservative? Ted-Cruz-style conservative? Jeff-Sessions- or Orrin-Hatch-style conservative? David-Duke-type of conservative? Milo Yiannopoulos wannabe? Richard Spencer follower? All of these iterations are not the same, and I think the acceptance on campus would vary depending on the student’s definition of “conservative.”
Maybe as a proxy for what the student is looking for, check out the college’s policy on undocumented immigrants.
Springfield College (MA)
Elizabethtown College (PA)
Salve Regina University (RI) - literally on the coast
Elon University (NC)
Marist College (NY)
University of Scranton (PA)
Providence College (RI)
High Point University (NC)
College of the Holy Cross (MA)
Bryant University (RI)
Loyola University Maryland (MD)
Quinnipiac University (CT)
Manhattan College (NY)
Stetson University (FL)
College of Charleston (SC)
University of South Carolina (SC)
Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY)
Clemson University (SC)
Davidson College (NC)
Fordham University (NY)
Christopher Newport University (VA)
Randolph-Macon College (VA)
Roanoke College (VA)
University of Delaware (DE)
West Virginia University (WV)
Salisbury University (MD)
University of Tampa (FL)
Saint Anselm College (NH)
Fairfield University (CT)
Endicott College (MA)
Stonehill College (MA)
Louisiana State University (LA)
Virginia Tech (VA)