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2024 Best Liberal Arts Schools

811 Colleges in the United States
366,996 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Liberal Arts is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #2 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 811 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 366,996 degrees in liberal arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts School

Best Liberal Arts Schools Your choice of liberal arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Liberal Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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.

Pick Your Liberal Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Liberal Studies
Bachelor's Degrees in Liberal Studies
Master's Degrees in Liberal Studies
Doctor's Degrees in Liberal Studies

The liberal studies 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 Schools. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Liberal Arts in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of liberal studies 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.

25 Top Schools in Liberal Studies

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
26th Most Popular In PA

University of Pennsylvania is a good decision for students interested in a degree in liberal arts. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 29 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Pennsylvania

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In MD
39 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in liberal arts needs to check out Johns Hopkins University. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were approximately 39 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In TX
189 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you want to pursue a degree in liberal arts. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 189 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from The University of Texas at Austin

4
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In DC
50 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in liberal arts has to check out Georgetown University. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were roughly 50 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Georgetown University

5
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY
632 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 632 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from New York University

6
Bentley crest
Bentley University
Waltham, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In MA
120 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Waltham, Bentley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #32 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bentley is a great university overall.

There were about 120 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Bentley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Bentley University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57th Most Popular In IL
36.8% Growth in Graduates

UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 19 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Chicago

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26th Most Popular In MA

MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #1 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means MIT is a great school overall.

There were approximately 9 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In TX
44 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Southern Methodist University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OK
373 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman. This university ranks 1st out of 32 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were roughly 373 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66th Most Popular In NC

Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 27 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from North Carolina State University

12
Wesleyan U crest
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CT
31 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Middletown, Wesleyan U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were approximately 31 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Wesleyan U in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Wesleyan University

13
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In PA
54 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. This university ranks 10th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 54 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Drexel University

14
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
21st Most Popular In PA

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were about 30 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Villanova University

15
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IN
36 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were about 36 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Notre Dame

16
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In KS
115 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 115 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Kansas

17
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In IA
218 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 218 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Iowa

18
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In VA
90 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 90 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from George Mason University

19
Providence crest
Providence College
Providence, RI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In RI
27.3% Growth in Graduates

Providence is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Providence. This college ranks 2nd out of 9 schools for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.

There were approximately 11 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Providence in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Providence College

19
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In UT
1,206 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

UVU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Orem. This university ranks 4th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were about 1206 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UVU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Utah Valley University

20
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In TN
62 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were approximately 62 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Middle Tennessee State University

21
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43rd Most Popular In FL
6.3% Growth in Graduates

U Miami is a large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Coral Gables. This university ranks 2nd out of 77 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were approximately 16 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Miami

22
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
25th Most Popular In TX

Located in the large city of Houston, UST is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 38th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 28 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UST in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of St. Thomas

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97th Most Popular In CA
72 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 30th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 72 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at SMC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Saint Mary’s College of California

24
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
21st Most Popular In TX
38 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth. This university ranks 5th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 38 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Texas Christian University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Liberal Arts Schools

26
27
Montgomery College crest
Montgomery College
Rockville, MD
28
29
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
30
31
32
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA

33

34
Golden West College crest
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, CA
35
36
St. John's Annapolis crest
St John's College
Annapolis, MD
37
Vincennes University crest
Vincennes University
Vincennes, IN
38
39
39
41
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA

42

43
44
45
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
46
Cuesta College crest
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA
47
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
48
49
50

 

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Liberal Arts Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 811 different United States liberal arts schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Ball State University Muncie, IN
51 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
52 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
53 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
54 Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM
55 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
56 Mesa Community College Mesa, AZ
57 Normandale Community College Bloomington, MN
58 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
59 Macomb Community College Warren, MI
60 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
61 Columbia College Columbia, MO
62 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
63 Northwest Vista College San Antonio, TX
63 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
64 Utah State University Logan, UT
64 Howard Community College Columbia, MD
65 Florida International University Miami, FL
66 Thomas Edison State University Trenton, NJ
67 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
68 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
69 Seattle University Seattle, WA
70 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
71 Portland State University Portland, OR
72 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
73 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
74 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
75 Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills, CA
76 University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA
77 Union University Jackson, TN
78 Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen, CA
79 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
80 Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA
81 Brandman University Irvine, CA
82 Westfield State University Westfield, MA
83 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
84 William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL
84 Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA
85 Oklahoma City Community College Oklahoma City, OK
86 Lee University Cleveland, TN
86 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
87 Collin County Community College District McKinney, TX
88 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
89 McLennan Community College Waco, TX
90 Fort Hays State University Hays, KS
91 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
92 Frederick Community College Frederick, MD
93 Pima Community College Tucson, AZ
94 West Valley College Saratoga, CA
95 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
96 Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
97 University of Delaware Newark, DE
98 Bergen Community College Paramus, NJ
99 Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula, CA
100 Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS
101 Metropolitan Community College Omaha, NE
102 South Texas College McAllen, TX
103 Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington, CA
104 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
105 Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, MD
105 Washington College Chestertown, MD
106 Texas A&M University - Commerce Commerce, TX
107 San Antonio College San Antonio, TX
108 William Jewell College Liberty, MO
108 Georgia State University-Perimeter College Atlanta, GA
109 Front Range Community College Westminster, CO
110 Simpson College Indianola, IA
111 Endicott College Beverly, MA
112 Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY
113 San Jose City College San Jose, CA
114 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
115 Soka University of America Aliso Viejo, CA
116 Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids, MN
117 Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY
118 Cerritos College Norwalk, CA
119 Eastern Connecticut State University Willimantic, CT
120 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
121 St Charles Community College Cottleville, MO

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts students that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts Schools award.

Rank College Location
122 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
123 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH
124 City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College Chicago, IL
125 Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA
126 Beaufort County Community College Washington, NC
127 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
128 Illinois State University Normal, IL
129 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
130 Arkansas State University - Main Campus Jonesboro, AR
131 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
132 College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV
133 New Mexico State University - Main Campus Las Cruces, NM
134 Central Arizona College Coolidge, AZ
135 Community College of Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
136 Elgin Community College Elgin, IL
137 St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud, MN
138 Indiana University - South Bend South Bend, IN
138 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
139 Indiana University - Southeast New Albany, IN
140 Valencia College Orlando, FL
141 Century College White Bear Lake, MN
142 Catawba Valley Community College Hickory, NC
143 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
144 Dakota College at Bottineau Bottineau, ND
145 Rutgers University - Camden Camden, NJ
146 NorthWest Arkansas Community College Bentonville, AR
147 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, IL
148 Alverno College Milwaukee, WI
149 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
150 City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College Chicago, IL
151 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
152 Cleveland Community College Shelby, NC
153 Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI
154 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
155 Touro College New York, NY
156 Bellevue College Bellevue, WA
156 University of La Verne La Verne, CA
157 Chesapeake College Wye Mills, MD
158 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN
159 Chandler-Gilbert Community College Chandler, AZ
160 Community College of Aurora Aurora, CO
161 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
162 North Hennepin Community College Brooklyn Park, MN

Liberal Arts by Region

View the Best Liberal Arts Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Liberal Arts is one of 3 different types of Liberal Arts General Studies programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Studies 129,869
Individualized Studies 37,634
Humanities 22,314

View All Liberal Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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