A noted conservative organization has released a list of the top 10 colleges and universities it says espouse like-minded social and political beliefs.

"Each year, hundreds of thousands of students begin their college search. Admission guides, seminars, advice from friends and help from advisers all offer different perspectives. Presented with so many options, confusion often clouds this important decision-making process," says the Young America's Foundation, a Virginia-based group that promotes "traditional values" to the nation's young adults.

"Many conservative students seek alternatives in higher education, but they may not be fully aware of institutions that fit these criteria," says the organization.

According to YAF, the schools offering the best conservative experience are:

• Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich.

• Grove City College in Grove City, Pa.

• Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio

• Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.

• Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif.

• Harding University in Searcy, Ark.

• College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo.

• Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

• Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Va.

• Christendom College in Front Royal, Va.

Colleges deserving of an "honorable mention" include Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.; Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky.; Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va.; and King's College in New York City.

"To be selected, a college must proclaim, through its mission and programs, an active dedication to maintaining and strengthening the conservative values of its students," YAF says.

"The listed colleges offer an alternative to the liberal status quo, because they allow and encourage conservative students to explore conservative ideas and authors," said the group.

The selected schools "offer coursework and scholarship in conservative thought and emphasize principles of smaller government, strong national defense, free enterprise and traditional values."

Furthermore, the group said, "they avoid trends in academe by continuing to study Western Civilization instead of straying toward the study of Marxism, feminism, sexuality, postmodernism and other modern distractions that do not give students a complete understanding of our country, our culture, and its founding principles."

By comparison, the Princeton Review has identified the 10 most politically liberal colleges and universities. They are:

• Mills College in Oakland, Calif.

• Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

• New College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla.

• Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass.

• Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina

• Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y.

• Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif.

• Reed College in Portland, Ore.

• Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vt.

• Earlham College in Richmond, Ind.

The Review says "students at these 10 schools wear their mantles of liberalism with pride." According to its "annual survey of college students, students at these schools can never veer too far left of mainstream."

Students at Bard College, the Review noted in one example, said they were "more concerned with the terrorism for which our government is responsible than the terrorism that targets the United States."

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