by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
With 556,813 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,337 and had an average of $17,430 in loans still to pay off.
Across Tennessee, there were 10,645 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,220 and $16,927 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 654 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,466 and $26,819 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee” ranking looked at 25 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. That schools that top this list have a program in liberal arts general studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fisk University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Fisk is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lee University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee. Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 60 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Martin Methodist College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Martin Methodist College is a small school located in Pulaski, Tennessee that handed out 5 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Martin Methodist College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Austin Peay State University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee. Austin Peay State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Clarksville, Tennessee. It awarded 107 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Austin Peay State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Middle Tennessee State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Middle Tennessee State University is a large school located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that handed out 144 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Middle Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking. Johnson City, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.
Cumberland University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking. Located in Lebanon, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Union University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Union is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jackson, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
University of Memphis landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking. UofM is a public institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Memphis
Belmont University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking. Belmont is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Belmont University
Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Tennessee State University
Milligan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #12. Milligan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milligan College, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Tennessee Technological University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #13. Tennessee Tech University is a public institution located in Cookeville, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Tennessee Tech University
Tennessee Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Athens, Tennessee, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Bryan College - Dayton did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #15. Bryan College - Dayton is located in Dayton, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Bryan College - Dayton
The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school situated in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UT Chattanooga
Christian Brothers University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Christian Brothers University is a small school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 3 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Christian Brothers University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Lincoln Memorial University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking. Harrogate, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Lipscomb University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Carson - Newman University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Jefferson City, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Carson - Newman University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #21, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 89%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Bethel University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Bethel University is a small school located in McKenzie, Tennessee that handed out 26 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Le Moyne - Owen College ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. Le Moyne - Owen College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 1 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Le Moyne - Owen College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Welch College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee ranking. This small school is located in Gallatin, Tennessee, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #21, Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Tennessee list. TNU is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
