by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Missouri” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 556,813 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. 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 Missouri, there were 9,678 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,467 and $18,885 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,301 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,023 and $28,243 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri” ranking, we looked at 32 colleges that offer a degree 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.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The liberal arts 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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for missouri bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.
Out of the 32 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College landed the #1 spot on the list. Columbia College is a medium-sized school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 356 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Columbia College Missouri
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harris - Stowe State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. This small school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Harris - Stowe State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William Jewell College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. William Jewell is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Liberty, Missouri. It awarded 18 bachelors’s liberal arts 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 2.9% 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 William Jewell College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri Southern State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. Missouri Southern State University is a small school located in Joplin, Missouri that handed out 90 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 32 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Missouri State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Southeast Missouri State University is located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 132 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Southeast Missouri State University
Fontbonne University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. Fontbonne University is a small school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 13 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Fontbonne University
University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. This fairly large school is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and it awarded 135 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Lincoln University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. Jefferson City, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
University of Missouri - St Louis ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. UMSL is a public institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 University of Missouri - St Louis
Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. Drury University - CCPS is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Springfield, Missouri. It awarded 14 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Drury University - CCPS Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Missouri Baptist University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. Missouri Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 20 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Central Missouri ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. Warrensburg, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 81 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Central Missouri
Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. Missouri State University - Springfield is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 105 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Missouri Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. Missouri Valley College is a small school located in Marshall, Missouri that handed out 4 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Missouri Valley College
Cottey College ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. This small school is located in Nevada, Missouri, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Cottey College
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia
Hannibal - LaGrange University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking, coming in at #17. HLGU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hannibal, Missouri. It awarded 2 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Lindenwood University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Charles, Missouri, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees 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%.
Full Lindenwood University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. Located in Rolla, Missouri, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Missouri University of Science and Technology
College of the Ozarks did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking, coming in at #20. College of the Ozarks is located in Point Lookout, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Northwest Missouri State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Maryville, Missouri, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Northwest
Avila University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. Avila is a small school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 2 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Maryville University of Saint Louis Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Saint Louis University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri ranking. Saint Louis University is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Culver - Stockton College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Missouri list. Culver - Stockton College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Canton, Missouri. It awarded 1 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Culver - Stockton College
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
