by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 127 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for general studies students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 13,266 bachelor's degrees in general studies to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The general studies bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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 studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in general studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Villanova University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in general studies. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Villanova University
It is difficult to beat DePaul University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in general studies. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from DePaul University
Southern New Hampshire University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in general studies. SNHU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized suburb of Manchester.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Southern New Hampshire University
University of Connecticut is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general studies. UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Storrs.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Connecticut
Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from George Mason University
Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Columbia College
U Miami is a large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Coral Gables.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Miami
Located in the city of Houston, UST is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of St. Thomas
American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the town of Charles Town.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from American Public University System
Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Texas Tech University
FDU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Teaneck.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus
UNT is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Denton.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of North Texas
WVU is a very large public university located in the city of Morgantown.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from West Virginia University
Located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Middle Tennessee State University
National University is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from National University
TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Texas Christian University
Marshall University is a large public university located in the city of Huntington.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Marshall University
Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
Here are some additional great schools for General Studies students that almost earned our Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | University of Mary | Bismarck, ND |
| 21 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 22 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 23 | Arkansas State University - Main Campus | Jonesboro, AR |
| 24 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 25 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
View the Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 3 majors within the Liberal Arts General Studies area of study, General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts | 24,975 |
| Individualized Studies | 3,316 |
| Humanities | 1,745 |
