The 25 Most Desirable Rural Schools

Set in Northfield, a historic Minnesota river town, Carleton College has been providing what it calls “a true liberal arts education” since its founding in 1866. The school offers 37 majors in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences in a quaint Midwestern setting on a campus occupying 1,040 acres, including an 880-acre arboretum, which helps explain its ranking as the ninth most desirable rural school in the nation.

With fewer than 2,000 students—which the college describes as intellectually curious—Carleton is rated as the 18th most desirable small school in the country. The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, class sizes average 18 students and the school promises that professors—not teaching assistants—teach every class. On average, its students score 33 on the ACTs and 1490 on the SATs.

Only 27 percent of students who apply to Carleton College are accepted. Women comprise 53 percent of the student population.