by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 556,813 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,337 and had an average of $17,430 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major” ranking, we looked at 2,192 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular liberal arts general studies programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The liberal arts 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 “Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for liberal arts students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Miami Dade College. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major. Located in Miami, Florida, this large public school awarded 9,606 degrees to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Miami Dade College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Valencia College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Valencia College is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,810 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Valencia College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend El Centro College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. This large school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 7,386 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at El Centro College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lone Star College System. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Lone Star College System is a large public school situated in The Woodlands, Texas. It awarded 6,347 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Lone Star College System
Out of the 2,192 schools in the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Broward College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this large public school awarded 5,380 diplomas to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Broward College
Tarrant County College District came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major ranking. Tarrant County College is a large public school situated in Fort Worth, Texas. It awarded 4,817 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Tarrant County College District
Palm Beach State College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major ranking. Palm Beach State College is a large school located in Lake Worth, Florida that handed out 4,062 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Palm Beach State College
Utah Valley University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Utah Valley University is a large public school situated in Orem, Utah. It awarded 5,458 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Hillsborough Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. HCC is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,242 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Hillsborough Community College
Collin County Community College District ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Collin County Community College District is a public institution located in McKinney, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,223 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Collin County Community College District
With a ranking of #11, Florida State College at Jacksonville did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Florida State College at Jacksonville is a large public school situated in Jacksonville, Florida. It awarded 3,217 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
St Petersburg College ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. This large school is located in Clearwater, Florida, and it awarded 3,158 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Portland Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major ranking. Portland Community College is located in Portland, Oregon and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,682 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Portland Community College
San Antonio College ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. This fairly large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 2,613 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at San Antonio College
With a ranking of #15, University of Maryland Global Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. University of Maryland Global Campus is located in Adelphi, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,567 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Maryland Global Campus
With a ranking of #16, Pasadena City College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Pasadena City College is a large public school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 2,428 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Pasadena City College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #17, Georgia State University-Perimeter College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Georgia State University-Perimeter College is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,419 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Georgia State University-Perimeter College
Northwest Vista College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major ranking. Northwest Vista College is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,384 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Northwest Vista College
With a ranking of #19, Houston Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Houston Community College is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,293 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Houston Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Southern New Hampshire University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major ranking, coming in at #20. SNHU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Manchester, New Hampshire. It awarded 2,256 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Golden West College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major ranking. Golden West College is located in Huntington Beach, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,346 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Golden West College
Cuyahoga Community College District landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major ranking. Cuyahoga Community College District is a fairly large school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 2,243 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Cuyahoga Community College District Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Tallahassee Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major ranking, coming in at #23. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s liberal arts degrees to 2,197 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Tallahassee Community College
Santa Fe College ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Santa Fe College is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,138 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Santa Fe College
Seminole State College of Florida ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major list. Seminole State College of Florida is a fairly large public school situated in Sanford, Florida. It awarded 2,125 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Seminole State College of Florida
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Saint Louis Community College | Saint Louis, MO |
| 52 | Front Range Community College | Westminster, CO |
| 53 | Polk State College | Winter Haven, FL |
| 54 | Blinn College | Brenham, TX |
| 55 | Salt Lake Community College | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 56 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
| 57 | Los Angeles Harbor College | Wilmington, CA |
| 58 | Johnson County Community College | Overland Park, KS |
| 59 | Community College of Rhode Island | Warwick, RI |
| 60 | Moorpark College | Moorpark, CA |
| 61 | Chaffey College | Rancho Cucamonga, CA |
| 62 | Lane Community College | Eugene, OR |
| 63 | Macomb Community College | Warren, MI |
| 64 | Montgomery College | Rockville, MD |
| 65 | Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom | Lakewood, WA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 316 | Solano Community College | Fairfield, CA |
| 316 | Johnston Community College | Smithfield, NC |
| 316 | Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College | Bowling Green, KY |
| 319 | Cerritos College | Norwalk, CA |
| 319 | Fort Hays State University | Hays, KS |
| 321 | Cypress College | Cypress, CA |
| 321 | Hostos Community College | Bronx, NY |
| 321 | Rockland Community College | Suffern, NY |
| 324 | Alvin Community College | Alvin, TX |
| 325 | Bismarck State College | Bismarck, ND |
| 326 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana | Natchitoches, LA |
| 327 | Arizona Western College | Yuma, AZ |
| 327 | Paradise Valley Community College | Phoenix, AZ |
| 329 | Colorado Mountain College | Glenwood Springs, CO |
| 329 | Henry Ford College | Dearborn, MI |
| 329 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies