America’s Most Conservative Colleges :
Liberal arts” is the only liberal aspect of some schools. The Princeton Review surveyed college students across the country about their political leanings—and students at these schools responded with the top ten strongest right-of-center attitudes.
1. Hillsdale College (Hillsdale, Michigan)
Hillsdale’s politically engaged students “mostly possess fairly conservative values, and there’s even a good deal of libertarians.” Adds one student, “They can be a bit dogmatic sometimes.” According to the student body, “the largest organizations on campus are College Republicans and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, followed closely by Praxis (an economics club) and Fairfield Society (a Christian organization).”
2. Grove City College (Grove City, Pennsylvania)
In general, most undergrads at Grove City College are “white, suburban, Christian Republicans.” These kids are the ones “who would ask, ‘What are hallucinogens?’” one student explains. A prominent group comprises “the normal, Nalgene bottle-carrying, Christian summer camp-working, service-oriented students.”
3. Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah)
From the student body to the “stringent” honor code (which regulates not only academic behavior but also dress, hair length, diet, and sexual activity) to the heavy religious-studies requirement, BYU serves the needs of America’s Mormon community first and foremost. Students describe each other as “upstanding” and “extremely friendly”; some, however, warn that “the nonconformist will find a dull social life with difficulty finding someone that will be their friend, regardless of who they are or what they believe.”
4. United States Air Force Academy (US Air Force Academy, Colorado)
The “straightforward, open-minded, goal-oriented individuals” who populate the USAFA “are teammates. We’d help each other out of trouble in a second. We’re that close.” Explains one student, “Due to the military stresses placed on them in the first year, they make great friends much quicker than I would imagine civilian students would in their freshman year.” Many cadets reported that “attitudes here have become more serious since September 11. There is a sense of purpose and drive, and a clear goal” shared by all.
5. Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden-Sydney, Virginia)
The students of Virginia’s all-male Hampden-Sydney College, founded in 1775, continue the Old South’s traditions. For the right type of student—namely, one comfortable in such an arguably archaic atmosphere—H-SC is a slice of southern heaven on Earth. Students are overwhelmingly “Christian in their beliefs” and generally quite conservative; warns one, “Only one group is isolated by the students: homosexuals. Not a good school for gay men at all.”
6. College of the Ozarks (Point Lookout, Missouri)
The “mostly conservative” students of College of the Ozarks pride themselves on their “outstanding moral values” (which lead at least a few to observe that “some here are really ‘holier than thou’”). Students agree that their classmates are both affable and genuinely accommodating; writes one, “People who visit here comment on how friendly and helpful we are.” Although they hail from far and wide, most have roots in rural America.
7. United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland)
Future naval and marine officers at the USNA quickly find that amid this “type A,” “moral, intelligent,” “goal-oriented,” and “aloof” student body, “liberal opinions are hard to find.” One student observes a split between “those who buy into the indoctrination system and those who rebel.” A common refrain is that the academy is “a good place to be from but not to be at.” But others state that the atmosphere can be “wonderful and challenging.”
8. University of Dallas (Irving, Texas)
Most strikingly, UD students are “strongly, almost eccentrically, grounded in orthodox Catholic principles.” More than one respondent to our survey offers “sheltered, conservative, middle-class, and white” as appropriate adjectives to describe the undergraduate population. “ Those who do differ from this norm report some friction: “I’m a pretty liberal Democrat and would support issues like abortion and gay rights, for example, and most people here are appalled by that.”
9. Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois)
Book learning means nothing at Wheaton without a Christian basis, and many students comment favorably on the “integration of academic challenges and moral principles” at their school. “It’s not that I’m simply studying and earning grades. I am able to grow as a person and a student,” writes a first-year undergraduate. The majority of students at Wheaton seem to support the strict rules that govern campus life, concurring that they eliminate “negative peer pressure.”
10. United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, New York)
Respondents agree that “most students have similar political views,” which translates to “no hippies.” “The typical USMMA student is reported to be a white male between the ages of 18 and 22; only about 100 women attend the Academy. Everyone becomes ‘typical’ by necessity because of the regimentation of the school.”
I would like to add that the top 2 — Hillsdale and Grove City happen to be the only two colleges I know that refuses to accept Federal aid because of the strings attached to it. Inspite of that, they provide first class education at a very reasonable price.
BUMP for a terrific and informative thread.
My daughter was considering St. John's MD - so glad she decided not.
Not only that, re: Hillsdale, that part of Michigan is quite beautiful and the people are great too, very middle America.
xsmommy, you’ll be pleased to see #8 on this list.
my oldest is heading for the U of Dallas this fall. thanks for linking me, whyisa!
One of my nephews graduated from Hampden-Sydney. He liked the school a LOT!
Hillsdale also doesn’t take government funding to avoid government race mandates (discrimination). Hillsdale is dedicated to true equality, it worked to abolish slavery and educate blacks (blacks were admitted immediately after it was founded in 1844) and was the second in the nation to grant four-year liberal arts degrees to women.
And liberals hate the place.
Throw Bob Jones and Liberty University on that list
Looking at this list, except for the Federal service academies, Wheaton is the only school on the list with a top academic reputation. I know Hillsdale and Grove City are fashionable among conservatives, and are no doubt good schools, but they do not have the widespread national reputations for excellence to justify the cost. For that much money, I’d rather have my kid at a Northwestern or Chicago, where the faculties are mostly very solid, if liberal (as opposed the the very radical ivies and top West coast schools).
Glad to say I’ve attended two of the Most Conservative list-—BYU and U of Dallas.