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2023 Best General English Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools

501 Colleges in the United States
31,214 Bachelor's Degrees
$28,153 Avg Early-Career Salary
General English Literature is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #18 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 501 colleges and universities when compiling its 2023 Best General English Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 31,214 bachelor's degrees in general English literature during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General English Literature School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best General English Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of general English literature for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality English program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general English literature students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank General English Literature Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General English Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 Bachelor’s Students to Study General English Literature in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in general English literature. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in English

1
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Yale University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general English literature. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.

General English Literature bachelor's degree recipients from Yale University receive an earnings boost of around $20,111 above the average income of general English literature graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Yale University

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA

It is hard to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in general English literature. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general English literature program at Stanford University earn $16,098 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Stanford University

3
43 Annual Graduates
$39,143 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of Notre Dame if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in general English literature. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

General English Literature bachelor's degree recipients from University of Notre Dame earn a boost of about $10,990 above the average income of general English literature graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of Notre Dame

4
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
82 Annual Graduates
$35,404 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in general English literature. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

General English Literature bachelor's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of around $7,251 above the average income of general English literature graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of Pennsylvania

5
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.

General English Literature bachelor's degree recipients from Duke University earn a boost of around $9,088 over the typical earnings of general English literature majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Duke University

6
100 Annual Graduates
$38,726 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.

Those general English literature students who get their bachelor's degree from Columbia University in the City of New York earn $10,573 more than the standard English grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Columbia University in the City of New York

7
53 Annual Graduates
$35,291 Median Starting Salary
$17,166 Median Student Debt

UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.

General English Literature bachelor's degree recipients from University of Chicago get an earnings boost of approximately $7,138 over the average earnings of general English literature majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of Chicago

8
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
60 Annual Graduates
$49,812 Median Starting Salary
$14,750 Median Student Debt

Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.

General English Literature bachelor's degree recipients from Georgetown University receive an earnings boost of around $21,659 over the typical earnings of general English literature majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Georgetown University

9
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
54 Annual Graduates
$44,610 Median Starting Salary
$16,543 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Hamilton, Colgate is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general English literature degree program at Colgate University earn $16,457 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Colgate University

10
53 Annual Graduates
$29,896 Median Starting Salary
$17,790 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduating, English bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $29,896 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Northwestern University

11
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
64 Annual Graduates
$28,046 Median Starting Salary
$13,500 Median Student Debt

Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the English program make about $28,046 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Brown University

12
152 Annual Graduates
$32,559 Median Starting Salary
$14,026 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general English literature major at University of Virginia - Main Campus make $4,406 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of Virginia - Main Campus

13
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
45 Annual Graduates
$43,018 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general English literature major at Wake Forest University make $14,865 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Wake Forest University

14
247 Annual Graduates
$31,616 Median Starting Salary
$14,058 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.

General English Literature bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,463 above the typical earnings of general English literature majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of California - Berkeley

15
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH

Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

General English Literature bachelor's degree recipients from Dartmouth College get an earnings boost of approximately $11,617 over the average income of general English literature graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Dartmouth College

16
296 Annual Graduates
$27,063 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the English program make about $27,063 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of California - Los Angeles

17
18 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Johns Hopkins University

18
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
52 Annual Graduates
$31,190 Median Starting Salary
$15,114 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those general English literature students who get their bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University earn $3,037 more than the average English grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Vanderbilt University

19
129 Annual Graduates
$28,964 Median Starting Salary
$18,052 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the English program report average early career wages of $28,964.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

20
129 Annual Graduates
$36,128 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general English literature major at University of Maryland - College Park make $7,975 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of Maryland - College Park

21
117 Annual Graduates
$33,267 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign.

Those general English literature students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign make $5,114 more than the average English graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

22
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
28 Annual Graduates
$37,645 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova.

Those general English literature students who get their bachelor's degree from Villanova University earn $9,492 more than the standard English grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Villanova University

23
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
92 Annual Graduates
$36,672 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Those general English literature students who get their bachelor's degree from Boston College make $8,519 more than the average English grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Boston College

24
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those general English literature students who get their bachelor's degree from Harvard University receive $3,332 more than the average English graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Harvard University

25
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
38 Annual Graduates
$30,386 Median Starting Salary
$21,000 Median Student Debt

Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta.

Bachelor's recipients from the general English literature major at Emory University get $2,233 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in general English literature from Emory University

Rest of the Top 50 Best General English Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools

25
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
26
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
27
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
28
29
30
31

32
Vassar crest
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY

33
34
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
35
36
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
37
38
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
39
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
40
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

41
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA

42
43
44
45
46
47
48
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
49
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best General English Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 501 different United States general English literature schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
51 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
52 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
53 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
54 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
55 Trinity College Hartford, CT
56 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
57 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
58 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
59 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
60 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
61 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
62 Clemson University Clemson, SC
63 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
64 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
65 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
66 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
67 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
68 Fordham University Bronx, NY
69 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
70 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA
71 George Washington University Washington, DC
72 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
73 University of Georgia Athens, GA
74 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
75 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for General English Literature students that almost earned our Best General English Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
76 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
77 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
78 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
79 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
80 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
81 Auburn University Auburn, AL
82 University of Houston Houston, TX
83 Northeastern University Boston, MA
84 Carleton College Northfield, MN
85 Amherst College Amherst, MA
86 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
87 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
88 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
89 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
90 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
91 Illinois State University Normal, IL
92 University of North Texas Denton, TX
93 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
94 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
95 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
96 University of Dallas Irving, TX
97 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
98 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
99 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
100 Temple University Philadelphia, PA

General English Literature by Region

View the Best General English Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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One of 3 majors within the English Language & Literature area of study, General English Literature has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Writing Studies 6,597
English Literature (Other) 574
Literature 460

Notes and References

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