2027 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Connecticut

[Liberal Arts General Studies](/majors/liberal-arts-sciences-humanities/liberal-arts-and-general-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 16 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for liberal arts general studies students.
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2027 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Connecticut
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in liberal arts general studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
Leading the list is Capital Community College, our #1 best value for liberal arts general studies in Connecticut. Set in the city of New Britain, Capital Community College is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $5,338, compared with $15,596 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $6,050. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $25,072. Set against $6,050 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in liberal arts general studies will find it at Charter Oak State College, which ranked #2. Charter Oak State College is a mid-sized public school located in the suburb of New Britain. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,506. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $20,205. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $44,615. Set against $20,205 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
A rank of #3 makes Central Connecticut State University one of the best values for liberal arts general studies. Located in the suburb of New Britain, Central Connecticut State University is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $13,050 in tuition and fees, compared with $16,550 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $24,340. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of Central Connecticut State University earn a median of $60,151 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,340 median debt. Roughly 73% of applicants are accepted.
Holy Apostles College And Seminary came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value liberal arts general studies schools. Located in the suburb of Cromwell, Holy Apostles College And Seminary is a small private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,580.
A rank of #5 makes Southern Connecticut State University one of the best values for liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of New Haven, Southern Connecticut State University is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,442, compared with $16,942 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $26,625. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $36,168. Set against $26,625 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Southern Connecticut State University admits about 92% of applicants.
Yale University landed the #6 spot for liberal arts general studies value this year. Yale University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New Haven. In-state tuition and fees average $67,250. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $15,750. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $61,133. Set against $15,750 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 4%.
Western Connecticut State University earned the #7 position for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Located in the city of Danbury, Western Connecticut State University is a moderately-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,401, with out-of-state students paying around $16,901. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $26,782 in student loans. Soon after graduation, liberal arts general studies degree recipients from Western Connecticut State University generally make around $27,784. Set against $26,782 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Western Connecticut State University admits about 87% of applicants.
Eastern Connecticut State University ranked #8 on our 2027 list of the best value liberal arts general studies schools. Eastern Connecticut State University is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Willimantic. In-state tuition and fees average $13,928, compared with $17,426 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $25,373 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of Eastern Connecticut State University earn a median of $41,870 early in their careers. Set against $25,373 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Eastern Connecticut State University admits about 83% of applicants.
University Of Connecticut landed the #9 spot for liberal arts general studies value this year. University Of Connecticut is a very large public school located in the town of Storrs. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $21,044, compared with $43,712 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $22,000 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Soon after graduation, liberal arts general studies degree recipients from University Of Connecticut generally make around $44,240. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Connecticut admits about 52% of applicants.
University Of Bridgeport came in at #10 for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Located in the city of Bridgeport, University Of Bridgeport is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $35,760. Students borrow a median of $35,340 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $43,743. That is a strong return on a $35,340 median debt. The acceptance rate is 83%.
Wesleyan University came in at #11 for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Wesleyan University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Middletown. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $70,042. Students borrow a median of $16,125 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $39,764. That is a strong return on a $16,125 median debt. Wesleyan University admits about 16% of applicants.
Goodwin College came in at #12 for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Located in the city of East Hartford, Goodwin College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $21,188. Students borrow a median of $35,611 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of Goodwin College earn a median of $52,724 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $35,611 median debt.
University Of Hartford earned the #13 position for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the city of West Hartford, University Of Hartford is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $49,075 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $12,000 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $6,992. That is a strong return on a $12,000 median debt. University Of Hartford admits about 96% of applicants.
Albertus Magnus College came in at #14 for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the city of New Haven, Albertus Magnus College is a small private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $41,908. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $26,402. Soon after graduation, liberal arts general studies degree recipients from Albertus Magnus College generally make around $50,188. That is a strong return on a $26,402 median debt. Albertus Magnus College admits about 59% of applicants.
University Of New Haven came in at #15 for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the suburb of West Haven, University Of New Haven is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $47,332. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $26,244 in student loans. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $49,615. Set against $26,244 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of New Haven admits about 60% of applicants.
Sacred Heart University earned the #16 position for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Located in the suburb of Fairfield, Sacred Heart University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $50,404. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $62,864. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 65% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 16 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 16 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.