by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 40 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,636 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of liberal arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality liberal studies program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
The liberal studies 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 the Best Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.
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.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts.
Saint Mary's College of California is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Saint Mary’s College of California
San Diego State University is a good decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from San Diego State University
Loyola Marymount University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Loyola Marymount University
It is hard to beat California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
CSUN is a very large public university located in the large city of Northridge.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from California State University - Northridge
Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from San Francisco State University
Sac State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Sacramento.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from California State University - Sacramento
Located in the city of Carson, CSUDH is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from California State University - Dominguez Hills
Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Brandman University
Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Azusa Pacific University
Explore all the Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 521 | 654 |
| Oregon | 343 | 302 |
| Hawaii | 172 | 49 |
| Alaska | 87 | 1 |
One of 3 majors within the Liberal Arts General Studies area of study, Liberal Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Humanities | 285 |
| Individualized Studies | 75 |
| General Studies | 56 |
