Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine: Best Values in Private Colleges 2012-13

Swarthmore, number one on our 2012-13 list for liberal arts colleges, has a smaller footprint than Yale, but it offers a similarly stellar combination of quality and affordability-Kiplinger's definition of value. This small, Philadelphia-based school is one of the most selective of our top 50 colleges and one of only three (along with Pomona, number two, and Haverford, number 10) that graduate 91% of students within four years. (See our story: How We Rank the Top Private College Values.)

Swarthmore's intimate setting, eight-to-one student-faculty ratio and hands-on approach ensure that no Swattie gets left behind. "Our classes are very small, and the faculty is very focused on helping students learn," says Rebecca Chopp, Swarthmore's president. ...

Yale and Swarthmore are among 36 schools on our lists that offer no-loan financial aid to students who qualify, a policy initiated by Princeton in 2001. ...