A liberal arts college is an accredited college that focuses on providing undergraduate students a broad liberal arts curriculum that exposes them to a variety of subjects in the sciences and humanities. A liberal arts curriculum differs from a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum in that it does not teach towards a specific career or job, instead focusing on developing all around intellectual abilities.

Most liberal arts colleges require their students to declare a major area of study, which will concentrate their classes on a specific subject. Majors often translate to potential employment opportunities after graduation, to check out the expected salary of different undergraduate majors, check out our infographic that details the Outcomes of Choosing a Major.

Many liberal arts schools are small, private institutions, as opposed to larger state schools or community colleges. While attending a public university or community college within your state of residence will often be the least expensive option to obtain a degree, there are many private liberal arts colleges that award large financial aid packages and offer good rates on tuitions. For reference to some great options for private liberal arts colleges that will not incur an unmanageable amount of student debt, have a look at our list of the Top 20 Affordable Small Private Schools for 2018. Let’s take a closer look at a couple of these affordable options for prospective students who are looking for a liberal arts college experience.

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Martin Luther College

Martin Luther College is a private liberal arts college that was established in 1995 and is located in New Ulm, Minnesota. While the school offers a variety of classes in the humanities and sciences, though many students focus on seminary studies, as the college is operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The college provides an intimate setting for students to engage with their teachers, as the student-to-faculty ratio comes out to 12 to 1. The student body is fairly small, with a total of 937 students, 859 of whom are undergraduates. Graduates at Martin Luther College can earn Master of Science degrees in Education, Educational Administration, or Theological Studies. The college has 16 different sports teams that are called the Knights, who compete in the NCAA Division III as members of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. The total tuition at Martin Luther College came out to $14,680 for the 2017-18 school year, and 90% of students receive some form of financial aid.

Blue Mountain College

Blue Mountain College is a private liberal arts college that was founded in 1873 and is located in Blue Mountain, Mississippi. The college offers classes from eight different academic departments: Business, Education, Fine Arts and Speech, Kinesiology and Health Studies, Language and Literature, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Biblical and Associated Studies. The college has seven different sports teams that are called the Toppers, who compete in the NAIA Southern States Athletic Conference. Blue Mountain College is a small school, with a student population of 573, and a student-to-faculty ratio of 14 to 1. Total tuition at Blue Mountain came out to $11,760 for the 2017-18 school year, and 100% of students received some form of financial aid, making it one of the most affordable private liberal arts colleges in the United States.