2023 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts
625
Ranked Colleges
24,975
Degrees Awarded
$29,000
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 366,996 liberal arts students received their degree, making the major the 2nd most popular in the country.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 24,975 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 625 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular liberal arts programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
Top 25 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Excelsior College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Excelsior College is located in Albany, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,620 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Excelsior College Liberal Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 1,289 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Liberal Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 579 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at New York University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Evergreen State College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Olympia, Washington, this small public school awarded 541 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.
Full Evergreen Liberal Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 534 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at Fresno State
Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #6. NAU is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 498 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full NAU Liberal Arts Report
Thomas Edison State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. TESU is located in Trenton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 447 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Thomas Edison State University Liberal Arts Report
Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school handed out 376 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Arizona State University - Skysong Liberal Arts Report
With a ranking of #9, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 361 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts at California State University - Bakersfield
California State University - Northridge landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 318 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 California State University - Northridge Liberal Arts Report
Florida International University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 307 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Liberal Arts at FIU
Sarah Lawrence College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. Sarah Lawrence College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bronxville, New York. It awarded 295 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at Sarah Lawrence
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 293 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at California State University - Long Beach
James Madison University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 263 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Liberal Arts at James Madison University
Fresno Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 262 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at Fresno Pacific
Fort Hays State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Fort Hays State University is located in Hays, Kansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 257 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
Full Fort Hays State University Liberal Arts Report
San Diego State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 232 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at SDSU
Portland State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Portland, Oregon, this large public school awarded 232 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Portland State University Liberal Arts Report
California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 230 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at California State University - Chico
California State University - Stanislaus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 226 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Stan State
With a ranking of #21, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 225 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full IU Bloomington Liberal Arts Report
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 224 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at California State University - San Bernardino
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 218 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Iowa Liberal Arts Report
Ball State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 217 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Ball State
University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Studies Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 215 bachelors’s degrees 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at USF Tampa