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2025 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

130 Colleges in the United States
12,488 Bachelor's Degrees
Ranked #34 in popularity, general studies is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 130 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of general studies. Combined, these schools handed out 12,488 bachelor's degrees in general studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools The general studies bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination 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.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More General Studies Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study General Studies in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in general studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in General Studies

1
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
119 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat DePaul University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in general studies. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from DePaul University

2
73 Annual Graduates

George Mason University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general studies. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from George Mason University

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,311 Annual Graduates

Southern New Hampshire University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general studies. SNHU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Manchester.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Southern New Hampshire University

4
143 Annual Graduates

University of Connecticut is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general studies. UCONN is a very large public university located in the town of Storrs.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Connecticut

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
184 Annual Graduates

FDU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Teaneck.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus

6
21 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Houston, UST is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of St. Thomas

7
49 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

8
Columbia College Missouri crest
Columbia College
Columbia, MO
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
223 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Columbia College

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Middle Tennessee State University

10
405 Annual Graduates

UNT is a fairly large public university located in the city of Denton.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of North Texas

11
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
28 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Miami

12
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Annual Graduates

IWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Marion.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

13
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

IWU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Marion.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Indiana Wesleyan University

14
184 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Edmond, UCO is a public university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Central Oklahoma

15
227 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Texas Tech University

16
115 Annual Graduates

WVU is a very large public university located in the small city of Morgantown.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from West Virginia University

17
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Annual Graduates

USU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Logan.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Utah State University

18
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
177 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Jonesboro, A-State is a public university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Arkansas State University - Main Campus

19
107 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Kent State University at Kent

20
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Memphis, UofM is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Memphis

21
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Annual Graduates

American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the town of Charles Town.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from American Public University System

22
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Willimantic, ECSU is a public university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Eastern Connecticut State University

23
Marshall University crest
Marshall University
Huntington, WV
141 Annual Graduates

Marshall University is a large public university located in the small city of Huntington.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Marshall University

24
232 Annual Graduates

Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

25
121 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Missouri - Columbia

Rest of the Top Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

26

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for General Studies students that almost earned our Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
27 Illinois State University Normal, IL
28 Harding University Searcy, AR
29 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
30 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
31 West Virginia University at Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV
32 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
33 University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT
34 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
35 University of Mississippi University, MS
36 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
37 Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus Portales, NM
38 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
39 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
40 Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH
41 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
42 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
43 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX

General Studies by Region

View the Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 3 majors within the Liberal Arts General Studies area of study, General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts 21,178
Individualized Studies 2,686
Humanities 1,461

Notes and References

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