2025 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

If you pursue a bachelor's degree in general studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #34 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 61 bachelor's degrees in general studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools List

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 bachelor's 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 colleges for general studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study General Studies in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in general studies.

Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in General Studies

1

National University
San Diego, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

31 Annual Graduates

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

2

The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, CA

24 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in general studies needs to take a look at The Master's University and Seminary. Located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita, The Master's University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from The Master’s University and Seminary

Best General Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	521	32
Oregon	343	6
Nevada	201	50
Hawaii	172	2
Alaska	87	0

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to General Studies

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

Most Popular Majors Related to General Studies

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts	4,749
Humanities	261
Individualized Studies	71

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.