by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 129,869 general studies students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,266 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 420 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular general studies programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree general studies students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern New Hampshire University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s. SNHU is a large school located in Manchester, New Hampshire that handed out 1,104 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s. University of North Texas is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 560 bachelors’s general studies degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Rexburg, Idaho, and it awarded 405 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Brigham Young University - Idaho General Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Columbia College Missouri is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 356 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 420 schools in the Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 346 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Louisiana at Lafayette did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #6. UL Lafayette is located in Lafayette, Louisiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 315 bachelors’s general studies degrees to qualified students.
Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Teaneck, New Jersey, and it awarded 307 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus
With a ranking of #8, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. UT Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 295 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Texas Woman’s University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. TWU is a fairly large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 255 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 223 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus General Studies Report
University of Central Oklahoma ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Edmond, Oklahoma, this fairly large public school awarded 220 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Studies at University of Central Oklahoma
With a ranking of #12, Texas State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 211 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #13, Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, this fairly large public school handed out 206 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Studies at Arkansas State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #13, Southeastern Louisiana University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Southeastern is a fairly large school located in Hammond, Louisiana that handed out 206 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia Southern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. GaSou is a large school located in Statesboro, Georgia that handed out 199 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Studies at Georgia Southern University
Texas Tech University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Texas Tech is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 192 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Marshall University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Marshall University is a fairly large school located in Huntington, West Virginia that handed out 183 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #18, West Virginia University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. WVU is a public institution located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 167 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Lamar University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 164 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
West Texas A&M University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Canyon, Texas, this medium-sized public school handed out 164 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
Eastern Kentucky University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #21. Richmond, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 162 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #22, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. UTSA is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas at San Antonio General Studies Report
Morehead State University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Morehead State University is a public institution located in Morehead, Kentucky. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 145 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Studies at Morehead State University
Western Kentucky University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. WKU is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Kentucky that handed out 142 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #25, Southeast Missouri State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and it awarded 132 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Studies at Southeast Missouri State University
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Eastern Connecticut State University | Willimantic, CT |
| 52 | Shepherd University | Shepherdstown, WV |
| 53 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL |
| 53 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 55 | Louisiana State University - Shreveport | Shreveport, LA |
| 56 | Southern Utah University | Cedar City, UT |
| 56 | Ferris State University | Big Rapids, MI |
| 58 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA |
| 59 | Louisiana State University - Alexandria | Alexandria, LA |
| 60 | West Virginia University at Parkersburg | Parkersburg, WV |
| 60 | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg, MS |
| 60 | Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus | Portales, NM |
| 60 | Concord University | Athens, WV |
| 64 | Idaho State University | Pocatello, ID |
| 64 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | Kearney, NE |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
