Out of all the liberal arts schools in the country, Williams College in Massachusetts took first place, according to the 2026 U.S. News and World Report national liberal arts rankings. Following close behind is Amherst College, taking second place. In all, the Massachusetts colleges on the list were:Williams College #1Amherst College #2Wellesley College #7Smith College #13College of the Holy Cross #27Mount Holyoke College #29Wheaton College #76Stonehill College #82Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts #115Emmanuel College #135Gordon College #156Hampshire College #156The best college rankings from U.S. News and World Report have been released for more than four decades, according to its website. It evaluates more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities as part of all of its rankings. The rankings are based on criteria like graduation rates and performance, retention rates, full-time faculty, among other factors, according to its website.