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2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

366 Colleges in the United States
39,135 Bachelor's Degrees
$37,143 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #13 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 366 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 39,135 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts general studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools The liberal arts bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality liberal arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Liberal Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
549 Annual Graduates
$38,447 Median Starting Salary
$99,560 Median Student Debt

New York University is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $38,447 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from New York University

2
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Georgetown University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgetown University make $29,576 more than the average liberal arts student.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Georgetown University

3
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies has to look into Yale University. Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Yale University earn $23,990 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Yale University

4
11 Annual Graduates
$103,135 Median Starting Salary
$77,106 Median Student Debt

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology earn $65,992 more than the average liberal arts student.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

4
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
31 Annual Graduates

Harvard University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Harvard University

5
20 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Chicago

5
253 Annual Graduates
$45,243 Median Starting Salary
$34,779 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin receive $8,100 more than the average liberal arts graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from The University of Texas at Austin

6
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL

Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from DePaul University earn a boost of approximately $46,923 above the typical income of liberal arts general studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from DePaul University

6
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Pennsylvania

7
217 Annual Graduates
$45,726 Median Starting Salary
$18,400 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus get $8,583 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

8
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

After graduation, liberal arts bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $25,436 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Villanova University

9
54 Annual Graduates
$49,147 Median Starting Salary
$17,872 Median Student Debt

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe.

Bachelor's recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Arizona State University - Tempe get $12,004 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Arizona State University - Tempe

10
40 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Southern Methodist University

11

SMC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Moraga.

Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Saint Mary's College of California earn a boost of about $18,951 over the average income of liberal arts general studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Saint Mary’s College of California

12

USF Tampa is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tampa.

Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of South Florida - Main Campus get an earnings boost of approximately $8,087 over the average earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of South Florida - Main Campus

13
321 Annual Graduates
$41,398 Median Starting Salary
$33,869 Median Student Debt

GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from George Mason University get an earnings boost of around $4,255 over the average income of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from George Mason University

14
1,250 Annual Graduates
$55,339 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Southern New Hampshire University receive $18,196 more than the standard liberal arts grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Southern New Hampshire University

15
Providence crest
Providence College
Providence, RI

Located in the midsize city of Providence, Providence is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After graduating, liberal arts bachelor's recipients generally earn around $31,117 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Providence College

15

NC State is a very large public university located in the large city of Raleigh.

Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from North Carolina State University earn a boost of about $4,518 over the typical earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from North Carolina State University

16
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Drexel University earn $25,327 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Drexel University

17
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
123 Annual Graduates
$36,993 Median Starting Salary
$56,000 Median Student Debt

Seton Hall is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of South Orange.

Soon after graduation, liberal arts bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $36,993 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Seton Hall University

18
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
183 Annual Graduates
$40,791 Median Starting Salary
$24,754 Median Student Debt

Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Iowa City.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Iowa earn $3,648 more than the typical liberal arts student.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Iowa

19

Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $30,286 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from California State University - Sacramento

20

UW - Green Bay is a large public university located in the midsize city of Green Bay.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Wisconsin - Green Bay earn $17,293 more than the standard liberal arts grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

21
105 Annual Graduates
$44,240 Median Starting Salary
$22,286 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Storrs, UCONN is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at University of Connecticut earn $7,097 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Connecticut

Rest of the Top Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

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KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
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33
Molloy crest
Molloy College
Rockville Centre, NY
34
Columbia College Missouri crest
Columbia College
Columbia, MO
34
Wesleyan U crest
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
35
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
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37
38
39

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41
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
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Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 366 different United States liberal arts general studies schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
48 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
49 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
50 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
51 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
52 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
53 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
54 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
55 Utah State University Logan, UT
56 Arkansas State University - Main Campus Jonesboro, AR
57 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
58 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
59 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
60 Florida International University Miami, FL
61 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
62 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
63 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
64 Indiana University - Southeast New Albany, IN
65 Ball State University Muncie, IN
66 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
67 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
68 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
69 Portland State University Portland, OR
70 Charter Oak State College New Britain, CT
71 St John’s College Annapolis, MD
72 Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA
72 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
73 Washington State University Pullman, WA

Liberal Arts General Studies by Region

View the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for 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

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

Liberal Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts 22,344
General Studies 12,540
Individualized Studies 2,740
Humanities 1,511

Notes and References

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