2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia
29
Colleges in Virginia
14,634
Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,562
Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #1 in popularity,
liberal arts general studies is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 29 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 14,634 degrees in liberal arts general studies annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School
Your choice of liberal arts general studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for liberal arts general studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings by Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia list to help you make the college decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Liberal Arts General Studies in Virginia
The schools below may not offer all types of liberal arts degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top Virginia Schools in Liberal Arts
Any student who is interested in liberal arts general studies has to look into George Mason University. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 322 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from George Mason University make $9,836 more than the typical liberal arts graduate.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from George Mason University
Northern Virginia Community College is a good decision for students interested in a degree in liberal arts general studies. Northern Virginia Community College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Annandale. A Best Colleges rank of #205 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northern Virginia Community College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 3745 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients generally make about $31,936 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Northern Virginia Community College
Associates
Degree Type
AA in Liberal Arts
Program Name
Strengthen your communication and critical-thinking skills with this online associate in liberal arts degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in AA in Liberal Arts from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
James Madison University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 243 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at James Madison University make $17,846 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from James Madison University
Southside Virginia Community College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Southside Virginia Community College is a small public college located in the rural area of Alberta. A Best Colleges rank of #294 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Southside Virginia Community College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 487 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Southside Virginia Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $21,755 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Southside Virginia Community College
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #789 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMW is a great university overall.
There were about 114 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UMW in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from University of Mary Washington receive an earnings boost of about $6,115 over the average earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from University of Mary Washington
Longwood is a small public university located in the town of Farmville. A Best Colleges rank of #1153 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Longwood is a great university overall.
There were roughly 49 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Longwood in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Longwood University earn a boost of around $15,152 over the average earnings of liberal arts general studies graduates.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Longwood University
Patrick Henry is a small public college located in the rural area of Martinsville. A Best Colleges rank of #711 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Patrick Henry is a great college overall.
There were roughly 452 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Patrick Henry in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make an average of $20,758 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Patrick Henry Community College
Bachelors
Degree Type
BA in General Studies
Program Name
Maximize your transfer credits and complete your bachelor's degree faster with this flexible online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in BA in General Studies from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Lord Fairfax Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Middletown. This college ranks 33rd out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were about 686 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Lord Fairfax Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, liberal arts degree recipients generally make an average of $26,696 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Lord Fairfax Community College
Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 32nd out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were about 675 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Tidewater Community College in the most recent data year. After graduation, liberal arts degree recipients usually earn an average of $27,405 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Tidewater Community College
Located in the rural area of Cedar Bluff, Southwest Virginia is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1030 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Southwest Virginia is a great college overall.
There were about 187 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Southwest Virginia in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career income of $23,756.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Southwest Virginia Community College
