How are liberal arts colleges ranked by U.S. News?

I'm trying to understand how U.S. News ranks liberal arts colleges. What factors do they consider, and which schools consistently come out on top? Would these rankings be helpful when choosing a college?

U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of liberal arts colleges are based on a multitude of factors that fall into seven broad categories. These are:

1. Graduation and Retention Rates: This includes the six-year graduation rate and the average freshman retention rate.

2. Undergraduate Academic Reputation: This is based on surveys completed by top academics including presidents, provosts, and deans of admissions.

3. Faculty Resources: This includes class size, faculty salary, faculty with the highest degree in their fields, student-to-faculty ratio, and proportion of full-time faculty.

4. Student Selectivity: This takes into account acceptance rates, high school class standing, and standardized test scores of incoming students.

5. Financial Resources: This checks for the average spending per student on instruction, research, and student services.

6. Graduation Rate Performance: A comparison rate predicted by U.S. News based on the characteristics of the school vs. the actual graduation rate.

7. Alumni Giving Rate: This measures the average proportion of alumni who donate to the college.

It is important to note that these rankings are one tool among many that can be used when choosing a college. They provide a broad overview of a school's standing in these areas but may not be able to capture factors that could be important to an individual's experience such as campus culture, extracurricular opportunities, and fit with student's academic interests.

As for schools that consistently rank at the top, Williams College, Amherst College, and Swarthmore College are regular contenders. However, it’s advised to view these results as a guide rather than an absolute measure of a school's worth. Your ideal liberal arts college should be the one that fits best with your academic goals, learning style, and personal preferences.