2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Iowa
19
Colleges in Iowa
5,228
Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,562
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in
liberal arts general studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #1 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Iowa ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,228 degrees in liberal arts general studies annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School
The liberal arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Liberal Arts General Studies rankings. We derive our Best Overall Liberal Arts General Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Liberal Arts General Studies 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 General Studies Schools in Iowa ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Liberal Arts General Studies in Iowa
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the liberal arts degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top Iowa Schools in Liberal Arts
University of Iowa is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.
There were roughly 191 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at University of Iowa make $9,229 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from University of Iowa
University of Northern Iowa is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.
There were approximately 57 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from University of Northern Iowa get an earnings boost of approximately $8,447 over the typical earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from University of Northern Iowa
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
Des Moines Area Community College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the large suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DMACC is a great college overall.
There were about 1002 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at DMACC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn around $31,453 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Des Moines Area Community College
Iowa Central Community College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in liberal arts general studies. Iowa Central Community College is a small public college located in the town of Fort Dodge. A Best Colleges rank of #498 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa Central Community College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 412 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa Central Community College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program report average early career earnings of $23,747.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Iowa Central Community College
Located in the suburb of Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #884 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa Western Community College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 391 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa Western Community College in the most recent data year. After graduating, liberal arts degree recipients generally make an average of $28,291 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Iowa Western Community College
Hawkeye Community College is a small public college located in the rural area of Waterloo. This college ranks 23rd out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were approximately 254 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Hawkeye Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career income of $30,321.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Hawkeye Community College
Located in the remote town of West Burlington, Southeastern Community College is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #795 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Southeastern Community College is a great college overall.
There were about 217 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Southeastern Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make an average of $24,968 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Southeastern 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
Marshalltown Community College is a small public college located in the town of Marshalltown. A Best Colleges rank of #1019 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Marshalltown Community College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 152 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Marshalltown Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $29,836 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Marshalltown Community College
Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.
There were about 70 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Iowa State University get $4,970 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Iowa State University
Located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #837 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Kirkwood Community College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 733 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Kirkwood Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make about $29,838 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in liberal arts general studies from Kirkwood Community College
