Curricular Flexibility

For all of the effort expended by teens during the college search and admissions process, very few actually take the time to dig into the nuts and bolts of the actual learning that takes place at a given school. For example, many students don’t discover the core and distributional curricular requirements until they actually step foot one campus to meet with an advisor for the first time. Mandated coursework can vary from zero classes to almost two full years of study. Some schools require no work in foreign language, while others require the equivalent of four or five classes. The number of courses you must take in the areas of writing, math, and science are similarly variable from school to school. One reason students don’t often pay attention to this aspect of future academic life is because information is difficult to find and much of what is on the web or outdated or even contradictory.

To assist you in determining the level of curricular flexibility at the top institutions in the country, we awarded schools one of three grades: Very Flexible, Somewhat Flexible, or Less Flexible, depending on the extent and specificity of their curricular mandates. Further, we cited the number of writing, math, science, and foreign language courses required by each school. For universities housing multiple colleges, the requirements cited are for the School of Arts & Sciences (or equivalent program) unless otherwise noted.

To view additional data columns, click the + icon to the left of the institution's name