The kids are all right.
The “Most Conservative College” in the country is just a short drive from liberal Los Angeles, according to the 2026 Best Colleges guide from the Princeton Review.
The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company.
“The colleges we profile in our ‘Best Colleges’ book are a truly select group. They constitute only about 15% of America’s nearly 2,400 four-year institutions,” said Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review and the book’s lead author.
To produce the report, researchers surveyed 170,000 students.
“We don’t rank colleges based on our opinion of them nor would we crown a school ‘best’ overall,” Franek explained.
“Our goal since day one on this project,” he continued, “has been to provide multiple resources to help college applicants answer what is for most the toughest question in their journey to college, ‘Which college is best for me?‘”
To help answer that, the new guide features two-page profiles of all 391 schools, as well as 50 ranking list categories, such as “Most Religious Students” and “Happiest Students” — including Grove City College in Pennsylvania and Claremont McKenna College in California.
But the school with the most conservative students is Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California, with an undergraduate population of just 372.
Thomas Aquinas is a private, conservative, Catholic liberal arts institution, located in Ventura County, near Los Angeles.
It was established in 1971 and is known for its use of the Socratic method, where all classes are discussion-based and led by professors — called tutors — who guide conversations through questions.
The small student-to-faculty ratio — 11:1 — fosters a close-knit environment where tutors are deeply engaged, approachable, and supportive, often interacting with students outside the classroom.
The population is nearly evenly split between men and women and students from in and out of state, but predominantly (63%) white.
The college community is described as friendly, faith-centered, and intellectually driven. Many students are motivated by their Catholic beliefs and are seen as studious, kind, and eager to help others.
Meanwhile, just up the coast, sits the school with the most liberal students — Reed College in progressive Portland, Ore.
Founded in 1908, Reed is a private liberal arts institution with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,346.
Reed College advertises a student-driven environment. With 38 majors, 17 minors, and two dual-degree programs, Reed emphasizes personal inquiry through a structured curriculum that includes a yearlong humanities course, broad distribution requirements, and a senior thesis.
Reedies are known for being academically passionate, inclusive, and deeply involved in learning — often pursuing niche interests outside their majors. The school is particularly welcoming to LGBTQIA+ and gender minority students.
The population is nearly evenly split between men and women, but mostly (85%) students from out of state and 58% white.
Notably, Reed ranks among the top schools nationally for the percentage of graduates who earn PhDs. Many alumni also go on to earn advanced degrees or become leaders in their fields.
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