2025 Best Liberal Arts Schools in California
76
Colleges in California
100,875
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in
liberal arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual reviewed 76 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of liberal arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 100,875 degrees in liberal arts annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Liberal Arts School
Your choice of liberal arts 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 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.
Pick Your Liberal Arts Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Liberal Arts Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the liberal studies degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
15 Top California Schools in Liberal Studies
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
97th
Most Popular In CA
61
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Saint Mary's College of California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts. Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #148 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SMC is a great college overall.
There were about 61 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at SMC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Saint Mary’s College of California
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
62nd
Most Popular In CA
156
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
California State University - Sacramento is a good decision for students interested in a degree in liberal arts. Sac State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Sacramento. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Sac State is a great university overall.
There were about 156 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from California State University - Sacramento
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
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
93rd
Most Popular In CA
115
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Any student who is interested in liberal arts needs to look into Thomas Aquinas College. Located in the rural area of Santa Paula, TAC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #140 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means TAC is a great college overall.
There were about 115 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at TAC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
84th
Most Popular In CA
85
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were approximately 85 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
3,304
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Irvine Valley College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #146 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Irvine Valley College is a great college overall.
There were about 3304 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Irvine Valley College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Irvine Valley College
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
49th
Most Popular In CA
233
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 233 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from San Diego State University
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
32nd
Most Popular In CA
493
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Located in the medium-sized city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means MJC is a great college overall.
There were approximately 493 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at MJC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Modesto Junior 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
Graduate Certificate
Highest Degree Type
86th
Most Popular In CA
87
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 87 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from San Francisco State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
35th
Most Popular In CA
282
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
CSUN is a fairly large public university located in the city of Northridge. This university ranks 48th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 282 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from California State University - Northridge
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
105th
Most Popular In CA
37
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Azusa Pacific is a great university overall.
There were approximately 37 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Azusa Pacific in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Azusa Pacific University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
51st
Most Popular In CA
209
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Chico State is a large public university located in the midsize city of Chico. This university ranks 64th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 209 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Chico State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from California State University - Chico
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
81st
Most Popular In CA
118
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 72nd out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 118 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at CSUMB in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from California State University - Monterey Bay
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
50th
Most Popular In CA
1,061
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
SCC is a fairly large public college located in the medium-sized city of Orange. This college ranks 49th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 1061 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at SCC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Santiago Canyon College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
3,319
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Golden West College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Huntington Beach. This college ranks 52nd out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 3319 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Golden West College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from Golden West College
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
36th
Most Popular In CA
279
Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #246 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 279 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in liberal arts from California State University - Long Beach
