2021 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional Students
284
Colleges
39,135
Bachelor's Degrees
$33,112
Avg Cost*
Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools for Non-Traditional Students
Liberal Arts General Studies is the #13th most popular major in the country with 39,135 bachelor's degrees awarded in <nil>.
This year's Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking looked at 284 colleges that offer a bachelor's in liberal arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies programs as well as strong support for students classified as non-traditional.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school, affordability, and non-traditional population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
As a non-traditional student, you have a lot to consider when it comes to choosing an education. That's why we've developed rankings specifically for you. Check out more major-related rankings here..
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.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
2021 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for non-traditional students studying liberal arts.
Top 25 Liberal Arts General Studies Schools for Non-Traditional Students
Excelsior University has taken the #1 spot in this year's liberal arts general studies ranking for non-traditional students. Excelsior University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Albany.
About 0.9% of Excelsior University students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. All 17,166 students take classes exclusively online at Excelsior University. All of Excelsior University students are attending part time.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Excelsior University
DePaul University landed the #2 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. DePaul not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #2 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.
The student loan default rate at DePaul is lower than is typical, just 1.0% of students default in three years. There are approximately 8,996 students at DePaul that take at least one class online. There are roughly 3,547 part time students in attendance at DePaul.
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Charter Oak State College earned the #3 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the suburb of New Britain, Charter Oak State College is a public school with a small student population.
About 1.2% of Charter Oak State College students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. All 1,618 students take classes exclusively online at Charter Oak State College. 1,235 of Charter Oak State College students are attending part time.
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Thomas Edison State University comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. TESU is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Trenton.
About 1.5% of TESU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 9,645 of TESU students are exclusively distance learners. About 9,641 of the students at TESU are attending part time.
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George Mason University earned the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population. GMU also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
About 0.8% of GMU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 21,490 students at GMU that take at least one class online. About 12,712 of the students at GMU are attending part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at George Mason University Report
Our rankings recognize Southern New Hampshire University as the #6 school in this year's rankings. Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.0%. 138,672 of SNHU students are exclusively distance learners. 102,147 of SNHU students are attending part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Southern New Hampshire University Report
Our rankings recognize University of Oklahoma Norman Campus as the #7 school in this year's rankings. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public school with a very large student population. University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. There are approximately 12,433 students at University of Oklahoma that take at least one class online. About 6,082 of the students at University of Oklahoma are attending part time.
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University of Bridgeport landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. UBridgeport is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bridgeport.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.9%. Approximately 1,056 students take at least one class online at UBridgeport. 1,281 students are part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Bridgeport Report
Our rankings recognize Brigham Young University - Provo as the #9 school in this year's rankings. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Provo. BYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.
About 0.4% of BYU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 12,325 students take at least one class online at BYU. 4,504 of BYU students are attending part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Brigham Young University - Provo Report
New York University landed the #10 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. NYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.
About 0.8% of NYU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 21,614 students at NYU that take at least one class online. There are roughly 8,829 part time students in attendance at NYU.
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The #11 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Fort Hays State University. FHSU is a large public school located in the remote town of Hays.
The student loan default rate at FHSU is lower than is typical, just 1.8% of students default in three years. 6,600 students at FHSU are exclusively online. 8,687 students are part time.
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The #12 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Wayland Baptist University. Wayland Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Plainview.
About 1.4% of Wayland Baptist University students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 1,319 students at Wayland Baptist University are exclusively online. 1,787 of Wayland Baptist University students are attending part time.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Wayland Baptist University
Our rankings recognize Saint Joseph's University as the #13 school in this year's rankings. St. Joe's is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, St. Joe's also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.
About 1.2% of St. Joe’s students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 2,032 students at St. Joe’s are exclusively online. There are roughly 2,163 part time students in attendance at St. Joe’s.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Saint Joseph’s University Report
The #14 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Notre Dame of Maryland University. NDMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. 1,138 of NDMU students are exclusively distance learners. 1,206 students are part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Notre Dame of Maryland University Report
Southern Methodist University comes in at #15 in this year's ranking. SMU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, SMU has also earned the #3 rank in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.1%. 912 of SMU students are exclusively distance learners. About 3,019 of the students at SMU are attending part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Southern Methodist University Report
Saint Mary's College of California landed the #16 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Moraga. SMC also took the #8 spot in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies rankings.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. 34 students at SMC are exclusively online. There are roughly 683 part time students in attendance at SMC.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California
Our rankings recognize Columbia College as the #17 school in this year's rankings. Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbia.
About 1.8% of Columbia College Missouri students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 4,157 of Columbia College Missouri students are exclusively distance learners. About 4,001 of the students at Columbia College Missouri are attending part time.
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The #18 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of South Florida - Main Campus. USF Tampa is a very large public school located in the large city of Tampa. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USF Tampa also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. There are approximately 22,899 students at USF Tampa that take at least one class online. 13,938 students are part time.
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The #19 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Texas Woman's University. Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, TWU is a public school with a large student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.5%. 6,914 of TWU students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 7,329 part time students in attendance at TWU.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Texas Woman’s University
The #20 spot in this year's ranking belongs to The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, UT Austin has also earned the #6 rank in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.
About 0.8% of UT Austin students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 23,198 students take at least one class online at UT Austin. 3,479 of UT Austin students are attending part time.
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Our rankings recognize Villanova University as the #21 school in this year's rankings. Villanova is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Villanova. Villanova also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
About 0.3% of Villanova students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 1,551 of Villanova students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 2,678 part time students in attendance at Villanova.
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Xavier University comes in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Cincinnati, Xavier is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. Xavier excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies list.
About 1.0% of Xavier students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 2,392 students take at least one class online at Xavier. 1,248 students are part time.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Xavier University
Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus landed the #23 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. FDU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Teaneck.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.4%. 325 of FDU students are exclusively distance learners. About 4,986 of the students at FDU are attending part time.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus
Longwood University landed the #24 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. Located in the town of Farmville, Longwood is a public college with a small student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Longwood also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.6%. 904 students at Longwood are exclusively online. 1,338 of Longwood students are attending part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Longwood University Report
California State University - East Bay comes in at #25 in this year's ranking. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. 7,069 students at Cal State East Bay are exclusively online. 3,650 students are part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - East Bay Report
