2025 Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California
4
Colleges in California
288
Associate Degrees
Ranked #2 in popularity,
general studies is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for general studies students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 288 associate degrees in general studies to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great General Studies School for Your Associate Degree
Your choice of general studies for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on general studies students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other general studies students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized general studies related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general studies students working on their associate degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Featured General Studies Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Liberal Arts
Strengthen your communication and critical-thinking skills with this online associate in liberal arts degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More