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2024 Best Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

246 Colleges in the United States
24,975 Bachelor's Degrees
Liberal Arts is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #19 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 246 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 24,975 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of liberal arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality liberal studies program can vary widely even among the top schools. 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 college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection 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 full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts Schools

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

The liberal studies 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 Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools.

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 Liberal Arts in the United States

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for liberal arts students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Liberal Studies

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from The University of Texas at Austin

2
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
579 Annual Graduates

New York University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from New York University

3
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
29 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts has to take a look at Georgetown University. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Georgetown University

4
Bentley crest
Bentley University
Waltham, MA
120 Annual Graduates

Bentley University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Located in the city of Waltham, Bentley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Bentley University

5
19 Annual Graduates

UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of Chicago

6
9 Annual Graduates

MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
178 Annual Graduates

University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Norman.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from North Carolina State University

9
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
54 Annual Graduates

Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Drexel University

10
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
24 Annual Graduates

Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Villanova University

11
36 Annual Graduates

Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of Notre Dame

12
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
115 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of Kansas

13
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
215 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of South Florida - Main Campus

14
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
218 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of Iowa

15
90 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from George Mason University

16
Wesleyan U crest
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Middletown, Wesleyan U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Wesleyan University

17
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,620 Annual Graduates

Excelsior University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Albany.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Excelsior University

18
46 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

19
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Saint Mary’s College of California

20
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Arizona State University - Tempe

21
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
232 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from San Diego State University

22
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
263 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from James Madison University

23
94 Annual Graduates

UW - Green Bay is a moderately-sized public university located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

24
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

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

24
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
307 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Florida International University

Rest of the Top Best Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

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27
28
29
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA
30
31

32
St. John's Annapolis crest
St John's College
Annapolis, MD

33
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
34
35
36

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
37 Ball State University Muncie, IN
38 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
39 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
40 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
41 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
42 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
43 Seattle University Seattle, WA
44 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
44 Utah State University Logan, UT
45 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
46 Lee University Cleveland, TN
47 Portland State University Portland, OR
48 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
49 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO

Liberal Arts by Region

View the Best Liberal Arts 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, Liberal Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Liberal Studies

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Studies 13,266
Individualized Studies 3,316
Humanities 1,745

Notes and References

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