Randolph-Macon College, in Ashland, Virginia, is a small liberal arts college on a beautiful campus 20 minutes outside of Richmond. Virginia Beach and the Shenandoah Mountains are both 2 hours away.The college was founded in 1830 by the Methodist church and still maintains that affiliation, but I did not sense any religious vibe on campus at all. With 1500 students, Randolph-Macon offers everything I like in a liberal arts college: 80% of students live on campus for 4 years, and freshmen all live on the same part of campus for community-building purposes. The student-faculty ratio is excellent and mentorship is very strong. Students are easily able to get research positions and recommendations for graduate school. The president of the college hosts a dessert reception for incoming freshmen every year and actually knows the first name of many students! Here's something else I love: an admissions officer talks to all prospective families one-on-one during every admission visit. Additionally, Princeton Review has ranked Randolph-Macon 17th for best career services and 21st for friendliest students.

School spirit is big here, and tailgating is huge. The D3 sports teams are ranked quite high in their conference: the softball team is ranked 8th in the country, and the basketball team won the national championship 2 years ago. Intramurals are also very popular with fun options like cornhole, dodgeball, ping pong, sand volleyball, and inner-tube water polo.

A couple of nuggets to be aware of: there's a brand new nursing program which is direct-admit; the first class graduated in 2023 and their NCLEX pass rate was 89%. E-ports is also very popular here, and there's an equestrian team with a barn 5 minutes from campus.

All students receive merit scholarships ranging from $23K to $31K, with a few full-tuition scholarships available for high-achieving students, so don't let the all-in price tag of $62K scare you. Randolph-Macon has an acceptance rate of 85% and a 4-year graduation rate of 94%. (In fact, they guarantee you'll graduate in 4 years, or the 5th year is free!) A high acceptance rate is usually paired with a much lower graduation rate. One wonders if that says something about the students who apply and attend, or about the personalized attention they receive once they get here.