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2024 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia

30 Colleges in Virginia
14,893 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,025 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #1 in popularity, liberal arts general studies is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 30 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 14,893 degrees in liberal arts general studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia Your choice of liberal arts general studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for liberal arts general studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Liberal Arts
Bachelor's Degrees in Liberal Arts
Doctor's Degrees in Liberal Arts

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 Schools in Virginia list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Liberal Arts General Studies in Virginia

The schools below may not offer all types of liberal arts degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Virginia Schools in Liberal Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
362 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$34,587 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in liberal arts general studies has to take a look at George Mason University. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 362 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from George Mason University make $7,562 more than the average liberal arts grad.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from George Mason University

2
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
263 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$32,885 Median Starting Salary

James Madison University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #169 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were about 263 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at James Madison University get $5,860 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from James Madison University

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3,606 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
7.3% Growth in Graduates

Northern Virginia Community College is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in liberal arts general studies. Northern Virginia Community College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Annandale. A Best Colleges rank of #385 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northern Virginia Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 3606 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program report average early career earnings of $28,420.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Northern Virginia Community College

4

Every student pursuing a degree in liberal arts general studies has to take a look at Eastern Mennonite University. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, Eastern Mennonite is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #497 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Eastern Mennonite is a great university overall.

There were about 26 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Eastern Mennonite in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from Eastern Mennonite University make $15,176 more than the average liberal arts graduate.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Eastern Mennonite University

5
UMW crest
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$34,236 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #848 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMW is a great university overall.

There were approximately 118 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UMW in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at University of Mary Washington make $7,211 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from University of Mary Washington

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
504 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
3.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the rural area of Alberta, Southside Virginia Community College is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1071 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Southside Virginia Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 504 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Southside Virginia Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program report average early career income of $18,392.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Southside Virginia Community College

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
641 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1488 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Tidewater Community College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 641 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Tidewater Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn around $24,061 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Tidewater Community College

8
Germanna Community College crest
Germanna Community College
Locust Grove, VA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,440 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
9.7% Growth in Graduates

Germanna Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the rural area of Locust Grove. A Best Colleges rank of #1174 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Germanna Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 1440 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Germanna Community College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career wages of $21,861.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Germanna Community College

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
422 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
0.9% Growth in Graduates

Patrick Henry is a small public college located in the rural area of Martinsville. This college ranks 33rd out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 422 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Patrick Henry in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, liberal arts degree recipients generally make about $20,149 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Patrick Henry Community College

10
Bridgewater crest
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, VA

Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Bridgewater. A Best Colleges rank of #1327 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bridgewater is a great college overall.

There were roughly 18 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Bridgewater in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Bridgewater College get an earnings boost of about $15,268 above the typical earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Bridgewater College

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 7,724
Florida 282 64,443
North Carolina 279 18,227
Tennessee 269 10,179
South Carolina 248 4,243
Kentucky 244 6,493
Louisiana 242 2,864
Mississippi 234 5,696
Arkansas 234 5,153
Alabama 233 5,890
West Virginia 207 3,558

View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities area of study, Liberal Arts General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Liberal Arts Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts 5,961
Individualized Studies 5,845
General Studies 2,671
Humanities 416

View All Liberal Arts Focus Areas >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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