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2021 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

284 Colleges
39,135 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,112 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsLiberal Arts General Studies is the #13th most popular major in the country with 39,135 bachelor's degrees awarded in <nil>.

This year's Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking looked at 284 colleges that offer a bachelor's in liberal arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies programs as well as strong support for students classified as non-traditional.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school, affordability, and non-traditional population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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As a non-traditional student, you have a lot to consider when it comes to choosing an education. That's why we've developed rankings specifically for you. Check out more major-related rankings here..

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.


 

2021 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for non-traditional students studying liberal arts.

Top 25 Liberal Arts General Studies Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1

Excelsior University has taken the #1 spot in this year's liberal arts general studies ranking for non-traditional students. Excelsior University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Albany.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. All 17,166 students take classes exclusively online at Excelsior University. All of Excelsior University students are attending part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Excelsior University

2
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL

DePaul University landed the #2 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago. DePaul not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #2 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.0%. Approximately 8,996 students take at least one class online at DePaul. 3,547 of DePaul students are attending part time.

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3

Charter Oak State College earned the #3 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large suburb of New Britain, Charter Oak State College is a public college with a small student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. There are approximately 1,618 students at Charter Oak State College and they are all exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 1,235 part time students in attendance at Charter Oak State College.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Charter Oak State College

4

Thomas Edison State University comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. TESU is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Trenton.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.5%. 9,645 of TESU students are exclusively distance learners. 9,641 students are part time.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Thomas Edison State University Report

5

George Mason University earned the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a fairly large student population. GMU also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 21,490 students take at least one class online at GMU. 12,712 of GMU students are attending part time.

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6

Our rankings recognize Southern New Hampshire University as the #6 school in this year's rankings. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

About 2.0% of SNHU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 138,672 of SNHU students are exclusively distance learners. About 102,147 of the students at SNHU are attending part time.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Southern New Hampshire University Report

7

Our rankings recognize University of Oklahoma Norman Campus as the #7 school in this year's rankings. Located in the suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public college with a very large student population. University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.

The student loan default rate at University of Oklahoma is lower than is typical, just 1.2% of students default in three years. There are approximately 12,433 students at University of Oklahoma that take at least one class online. 6,082 of University of Oklahoma students are attending part time.

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8

University of Bridgeport landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. UBridgeport is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Bridgeport.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.9%. There are approximately 1,056 students at UBridgeport that take at least one class online. 1,281 students are part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Bridgeport

9

Our rankings recognize Brigham Young University - Provo as the #9 school in this year's rankings. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Provo. BYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.4%. There are approximately 12,325 students at BYU that take at least one class online. 4,504 of BYU students are attending part time.

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10
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

New York University landed the #10 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. NYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.

The student loan default rate at NYU is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. There are approximately 21,614 students at NYU that take at least one class online. There are roughly 8,829 part time students in attendance at NYU.

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11

The #11 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Fort Hays State University. FHSU is a large public school located in the town of Hays.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.8%. 6,600 students at FHSU are exclusively online. 8,687 students are part time.

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12

The #12 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Wayland Baptist University. Wayland Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Plainview.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. 1,319 of Wayland Baptist University students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 1,787 part time students in attendance at Wayland Baptist University.

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13
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA

Our rankings recognize Saint Joseph's University as the #13 school in this year's rankings. St. Joe's is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, St. Joe's also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.

About 1.2% of St. Joe’s students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 2,032 of St. Joe’s students are exclusively distance learners. About 2,163 of the students at St. Joe’s are attending part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Saint Joseph’s University

14

The #14 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Notre Dame of Maryland University. NDMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. 1,138 students at NDMU are exclusively online. About 1,206 of the students at NDMU are attending part time.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Notre Dame of Maryland University Report

15

Southern Methodist University comes in at #15 in this year's ranking. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, SMU has also earned the #3 rank in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.

The student loan default rate at SMU is lower than is typical, just 1.1% of students default in three years. 912 students at SMU are exclusively online. There are roughly 3,019 part time students in attendance at SMU.

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16

Saint Mary's College of California landed the #16 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Moraga. SMC also took the #8 spot in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies rankings.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. 34 students at SMC are exclusively online. 683 students are part time.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California Report

17
Columbia College Missouri crest
Columbia College
Columbia, MO

Our rankings recognize Columbia College as the #17 school in this year's rankings. Columbia College Missouri is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbia.

About 1.8% of Columbia College Missouri students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 4,157 students at Columbia College Missouri are exclusively online. 4,001 students are part time.

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18

The #18 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of South Florida - Main Campus. USF Tampa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Tampa. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USF Tampa also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.

About 1.2% of USF Tampa students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 22,899 students at USF Tampa that take at least one class online. 13,938 of USF Tampa students are attending part time.

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19

The #19 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Texas Woman's University. Located in the city of Denton, TWU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 1.5% of TWU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 6,914 students at TWU are exclusively online. There are roughly 7,329 part time students in attendance at TWU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Texas Woman’s University

20

The #20 spot in this year's ranking belongs to The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, UT Austin has also earned the #6 rank in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.

About 0.8% of UT Austin students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 23,198 students at UT Austin that take at least one class online. About 3,479 of the students at UT Austin are attending part time.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at The University of Texas at Austin Report

21
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

Our rankings recognize Villanova University as the #21 school in this year's rankings. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Villanova. Villanova also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

About 0.3% of Villanova students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 1,551 students at Villanova are exclusively online. There are roughly 2,678 part time students in attendance at Villanova.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Villanova University

22
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH

Xavier University comes in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, Xavier is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. Xavier excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.

The student loan default rate at Xavier is lower than is typical, just 1.0% of students default in three years. There are approximately 2,392 students at Xavier that take at least one class online. There are roughly 1,248 part time students in attendance at Xavier.

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23

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus landed the #23 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. FDU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Teaneck.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.4%. 325 students at FDU are exclusively online. 4,986 of FDU students are attending part time.

Read More…

24
Longwood crest
Longwood University
Farmville, VA

Longwood University landed the #24 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. Located in the town of Farmville, Longwood is a public college with a small student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Longwood also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.6%. 904 students at Longwood are exclusively online. 1,338 of Longwood students are attending part time.

Read More…

25

California State University - East Bay comes in at #25 in this year's ranking. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. 7,069 of Cal State East Bay students are exclusively distance learners. 3,650 students are part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - East Bay

Rest of the Top Schools for Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

26
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Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
27
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Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
28
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31
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Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA
32
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University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

33
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Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI

34
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Belmont University
Nashville, TN
35
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42

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
43 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL
44 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
45 Grand View University Des Moines, IA
46 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
47 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
48 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
49 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
50 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
51 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
52 Barry University Miami, FL
53 William Jewell College Liberty, MO
54 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
55 William Peace University Raleigh, NC
56 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA

Liberal Arts General Studies by Region

View the best for non-traditional students Liberal Arts General Studies schools in 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

Liberal Arts General Studies is one of 0 different types of Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities programs to choose from.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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