by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2024, College Factual analyzed 124 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 37,033 degrees in liberal arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Your choice of liberal arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for liberal arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
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.
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 in the Great Lakes Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
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.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the liberal studies degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in liberal arts. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 19 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Chicago
It is difficult to beat University of Notre Dame if you want to pursue a degree in liberal arts. 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 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.
There were roughly 36 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Notre Dame
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized public university located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay. This university ranks 27th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 94 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Green Bay in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
It is difficult to beat Vincennes University if you wish to pursue a degree in liberal arts. Located in the town of Vincennes, Vincennes University is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 14th out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were roughly 566 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Vincennes University in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Vincennes University
Located in the large suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #247 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means College of Lake County is a great college overall.
There were about 1446 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at College of Lake County in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from College of Lake County
Ball State is a large public university located in the small city of Muncie. A Best Colleges rank of #205 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ball State is a great university overall.
There were about 217 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Ball State University
Macomb Community College is a large public college located in the city of Warren. A Best Colleges rank of #377 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Macomb Community College is a great college overall.
There were about 173 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Macomb Community College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Macomb Community College
Located in the large suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #512 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harper College is a great college overall.
There were about 1774 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Harper College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from William Rainey Harper College
Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 39th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 21 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Western Illinois University
Located in the city of Cincinnati, Xavier is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #316 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Xavier is a great university overall.
There were roughly 69 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Xavier in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Xavier University
Cincinnati State is a moderately-sized public college located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #442 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cincinnati State is a great college overall.
There were approximately 110 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Cincinnati State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
Harold Washington College is a medium-sized public college located in the large city of Chicago. This college ranks 34th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 1448 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Harold Washington College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College
Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 15 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Illinois State University
Located in the large suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #447 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Oakland is a great university overall.
There were roughly 5 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Oakland in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Oakland University
Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.
There were about 225 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Indiana University - Bloomington
ECC is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Elgin. This college ranks 29th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 931 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at ECC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Elgin Community College
Indiana University - Southeast is a small public university located in the suburb of New Albany. This university ranks 32nd out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were roughly 12 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Indiana University - Southeast in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Indiana University - Southeast
Waubonsee is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Sugar Grove. This college ranks 45th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 449 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Waubonsee in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Waubonsee Community CollegeHere are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Alverno College | Milwaukee, WI |
| 20 | City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College | Chicago, IL |
| 21 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 22 | Oakland Community College | Auburn Hills, MI |
| 23 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 24 | Ivy Tech Community College | Indianapolis, IN |
| 25 | McHenry County College | Crystal Lake, IL |
Explore the best liberal arts colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
Liberal Arts is one of 3 different types of Liberal Arts General Studies programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Studies | 11,380 |
| Individualized Studies | 11,231 |
| Humanities | 1,097 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
