Kenyon College

Life at Kenyon is intensely residential—all 1,700 students live on campus, creating a tight-knit community where "benches invite conversation" (per official materials). Social life revolves around low-key traditions like Weaver Wednesdays (weekly student org events) and modest house parties, with Reddit users noting gatherings of ~35 people. Drinking exists but is avoidable, according to student forums. The rural Ohio location means campus becomes students' entire world, fostering deep friendships and occasional cabin fever.

Kenyon boasts an 87-88% graduation rate (top 10% nationally), with most students finishing in 4.2 years. Early career earnings are modest ($36,427 at 1 year post-grad), though the college argues salary metrics don't capture humanities graduates' long-term trajectories. About 49% of alumni eventually earn more than high school graduates. The median student debt is $18,527—below national averages, aided by strong need-based aid?Need-based aidFinancial aid awarded based on your family's ability to pay, as measured by forms like the FAFSA, rather than on achievements..

The sticker price is steep ($57,276 for high-income families), but need-based aid is robust—the average net price?Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. drops to $44,823 after aid, and families earning <$30K pay ~$20,315. About 49% of students receive aid, with average packages of $59,726. The college meets 100% of demonstrated need, often limiting loans to $2,500/year as seen in one publicized package.

Kenyon is the liberal arts college for literary types—a place where students debate Plato in stone archways, then publish in the Kenyon Review (one of America's premier literary magazines). Its total residentiality creates an almost monastic focus on ideas, while DIII athletics (with more championships than any Ohio college) add balance. The result: a self-selecting community of word-obsessed, independently minded students who thrive in its insular intensity.