2024 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
166Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
61,536Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,411Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #1 in popularity, liberal arts general studies is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual looked at 166 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 61,536 degrees in liberal arts general studies to qualified students.
Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School
Your choice of liberal arts general studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for liberal arts general studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings by Degree Level
The liberal arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Great Lakes Region
The schools below may not offer all types of liberal arts degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It's hard to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in liberal arts general studies. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were approximately 175 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from University of Chicago make $8,658 more than the standard liberal arts student.
It's difficult to beat DePaul University if you wish to pursue a degree in liberal arts general studies. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.
There were roughly 90 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at DePaul University earn $27,298 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
University of Notre Dame is a great choice for students interested in a degree in liberal arts general studies. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.
There were roughly 32 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at University of Notre Dame make $5,086 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Purdue University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.
There were approximately 63 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus earn a boost of around $20,585 over the average income of liberal arts general studies graduates.
Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were roughly 53 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $3,678 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 20 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $21,962 in the first couple years of working.
Located in the town of Vincennes, Vincennes University is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 14th out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were about 1481 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Vincennes University in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from Vincennes University make $7,919 more than the average liberal arts student.
Located in the large suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #247 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means College of Lake County is a great college overall.
There were approximately 1893 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at College of Lake County in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program report average early career income of $27,907.
UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Green Bay. This university ranks 27th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were approximately 333 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Green Bay in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay earn $4,457 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
IUPUI is a fairly large public university located in the city of Indianapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #274 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IUPUI is a great university overall.
There were roughly 191 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis get an earnings boost of about $7,676 over the typical income of liberal arts general studies majors.
Macomb Community College is a large public college located in the midsize city of Warren. This college ranks 6th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were approximately 1231 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Macomb Community College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program report average early career wages of $27,775.
Ball State is a large public university located in the city of Muncie. A Best Colleges rank of #205 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ball State is a great university overall.
There were about 223 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent data year. After graduating, liberal arts degree recipients typically earn about $30,527 at the beginning of their careers.
Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 39th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 133 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Western Illinois University get $7,545 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
Located in the suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 22nd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 1837 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Harper College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program report average early career earnings of $26,090.
Located in the distant town of Tiffin, Tiffin University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 31st out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were about 45 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Tiffin University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Tiffin University get $19,412 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Kent State University at Stark is a small public university located in the suburb of North Canton. This university ranks 15th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were approximately 2330 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Kent State University at Stark in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Kent State University at Stark make $2,087 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Located in the distant town of Adrian, Siena Heights University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 21st out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were about 20 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Siena Heights University in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Siena Heights University receive an earnings boost of about $8,941 above the typical earnings of liberal arts general studies graduates.
Indiana University - Southeast is a small public university located in the suburb of New Albany. This university ranks 32nd out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were about 101 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Indiana University - Southeast in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Indiana University - Southeast earn a boost of approximately $2,325 above the typical income of liberal arts general studies graduates.
UWM is a very large public university located in the large city of Milwaukee. This university ranks 19th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 227 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent data year. After graduation, liberal arts degree recipients usually make around $30,556 in the first five years of their career.
Located in the suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were approximately 134 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Oakland in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Oakland University receive an earnings boost of about $5,311 above the average income of liberal arts general studies majors.
Located in the large city of Cincinnati, Xavier is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #316 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Xavier is a great university overall.
There were about 47 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Xavier in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from Xavier University earn $12,379 more than the standard liberal arts student.
Cincinnati State is a moderately-sized public college located in the large city of Cincinnati. This college ranks 17th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were roughly 265 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Cincinnati State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College earn $3,034 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
IWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Marion. A Best Colleges rank of #291 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IWU is a great university overall.
There were about 120 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global earn a boost of about $5,159 above the average income of liberal arts general studies majors.
Harold Washington College is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Chicago. This college ranks 34th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 1381 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Harold Washington College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career income of $26,255.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Your choice of liberal arts general studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for liberal arts general studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
