by our College Data Analytics Team
In 2021-2022, N/A people earned their bachelor's in liberal arts general studies, making the major the #13 most popular in the United States.
This year's Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking looked at 380 colleges that offer a bachelor's in liberal arts. When talking about the 'best value', we do not simply mean those with the lowest price. We are more focused on liberal arts schools that offer a high quality education at a price lower that other schools of similar academic excellence.
When calculating average cost, we take tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other related expenses into account. We then subtract the average financial aid award. The is meant to give you an idea of how much money you'll need to pay out-of-pocket through loans, external scholarships, or other methods. Your cost may be different from the average one, depending on your income and other factors.
The liberal arts 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 Value Liberal Arts Schools.
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.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Strengthen your communication and critical-thinking skills with this online associate in liberal arts degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Maximize your transfer credits and complete your bachelor's degree faster with this flexible online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Check out the liberal arts programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your money.
Thomas Edison State University comes in at #1 in this year's ranking. TESU is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Trenton. TESU excels when it comes to quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools list.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Thomas Edison State University
American Public University System landed the #2 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value liberal arts general studies schools. Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, American Military University also is in the top 5% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools ranking.
When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at American Public University System Report
Brigham Young University - Idaho earned the #3 spot in our 2024 rankings. BYU - I is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Rexburg. BYU - I also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools list. It's in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at BYU - I is 5.0 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $7,343. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from BYU - I be around $36,421. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Columbia College comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Columbia College Missouri also is in the top 10% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools ranking.
It takes the average student at Columbia College Missouri about 4.4 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $20,499. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College Missouri is $90,196. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Our rankings recognize Southern New Hampshire University as the #5 school in this year's rankings. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. In addition to its great value ranking, SNHU is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools list.
At SNHU, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and it costs about $26,861 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from SNHU is $110,936. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Southern New Hampshire University
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus comes in at #6 in this year's ranking. ENMU - Main Campus is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Portales. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, ENMU - Main Campus also is in the top 20% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools ranking.
The average student at ENMU - Main Campus graduates in less than 4.4 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $14,898. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from ENMU - Main Campus is $65,700. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay comes in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public school with a medium-sized student population. UW - Green Bay excels when it comes to quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools list.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UW - Green Bay is 4.4 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $19,509. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from UW - Green Bay is $86,230. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The #8 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Excelsior University. Excelsior University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Albany. Excelsior University excels when it comes to quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools list.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Excelsior University Report
Wilmington University comes in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in the large suburb of New Castle, Wilmington University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Our rankings recognize University of South Florida - Main Campus as the #10 school in this year's rankings. 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 5% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools ranking.
The average student at USF Tampa graduates in less than 4.3 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $22,729. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from USF Tampa is about $96,598. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of South Florida - Main Campus
This section represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 380 different United States liberal arts general studies schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Austin Peay State University | Clarksville, TN |
| 52 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 53 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 54 | West Texas A&M University | Canyon, TX |
| 55 | Potomac State College of West Virginia University | Keyser, WV |
| 56 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 57 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
View the Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies for a specific region near you.
Liberal Arts General Studies is one of 0 different types of Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities programs to choose from.
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
