Princeton Review
COA ranks among the top colleges in the country on the Princeton Review’s lists including:
Top 50 Green Colleges
Everyone Cares About Conservation
Best Classroom Experience
Great Financial Aid
Professors Get High Marks
Best Quality of Life
LGBTQ-Friendly
Friendliest Students
Most Active Student Government
Most Engaged in Community Service
Students Study the Most
Their Students Love These Colleges
Town-Gown Relations are Great
Changemaker Campus
COA has been a Changemaker Campus since 2008, recognized by The Ashoka U Changemaker Campus designation; a rigorous, global selection process with this leading designation for social innovation in higher education.
Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award recipient
NAFSA: Association of International Educators honored COA for our innovative international initiatives.
MacArthur Genius Award recipient
COA is one of six colleges selected to receive a genius grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which cited our innovative, mission-driven approach to liberal arts education.
America’s greenest college!
COA has been repeatedly recognized for our college-wide commitment to ecological practices.
#1 Greenest college in the Princeton Review’s Top 50 Green Colleges 2016-2023
#1 Zero Waste Campus, Post Landfill Action Network’s Atlas Zero Waste Certification Program
#5 top performing sustainable baccalaureate institution according to The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education 2019