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2024 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Iowa

20 Colleges in Iowa
5,969 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,629 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in liberal arts general studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #1 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 20 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Iowa ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,969 degrees in liberal arts general studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Iowa The liberal arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Liberal Arts General Studies rankings. We derive our Best Overall Liberal Arts General Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Liberal Arts General Studies Degree Level

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Iowa ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Liberal Arts General Studies in Iowa

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the liberal arts degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Iowa Schools in Liberal Arts

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
221 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
10.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 221 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from University of Iowa receive an earnings boost of about $9,019 over the typical income of liberal arts general studies graduates.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,615 Median Starting Salary

University of Northern Iowa is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #199 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make an average of $29,615 for their early career.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from University of Northern Iowa

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,170 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$28,831 Median Starting Salary

Des Moines Area Community College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #501 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DMACC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 1170 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at DMACC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make an average of $28,831 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Des Moines Area Community College

4
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA

It's hard to beat Simpson College if you want to pursue a degree in liberal arts general studies. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Indianola. A Best Colleges rank of #549 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Simpson College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 14 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Simpson College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at Simpson College get $6,809 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
493 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
0.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1003 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa Western Community College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 493 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa Western Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make around $28,250 for their early career.

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

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
426 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$22,902 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1041 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa Central Community College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 426 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa Central Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career wages of $22,902.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$34,790 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 80 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from Iowa State University receive $5,161 more than the average liberal arts graduate.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Iowa State University

8
Grand View University crest
Grand View University
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,697 Median Starting Salary
$30,500 Median Student Debt

Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines. A Best Colleges rank of #1217 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Grand View University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 18 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Grand View University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Grand View University earn $3,068 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Grand View University

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,901 Median Starting Salary

Marshalltown Community College is a small public college located in the rural area of Marshalltown. This college ranks 30th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 144 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Marshalltown Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make about $25,901 in the first couple years of their career.

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

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,496 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1303 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Western Iowa Tech Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 124 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Western Iowa Tech Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn an average of $25,496 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Western Iowa Tech Community College

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 6,252
Missouri 283 8,234
Kansas 266 6,337
Nebraska 238 1,607
North Dakota 210 953
South Dakota 204 222

View All Rankings >

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 5,724
General Studies 228
Individualized Studies 17

View All Liberal Arts Concentrations >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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