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2021 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

284 Colleges
39,135 Bachelor's Degrees
$31,805 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsLiberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities is the #14th most popular major in the country with 39,135 bachelor's degrees awarded in <nil>.

This year's Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 284 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts / sciences & humanities programs as well as strong support for students classified as non-traditional.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program at the school, affordability, and presence of non-traditional students. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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..

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. 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.


 

2021 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges for Non-Traditional Students.

Top 25 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1

Excelsior University has taken the #1 spot in this year's liberal arts / sciences & humanities ranking for non-traditional students. Located in the small city of Albany, Excelsior University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. All 17,166 students take classes exclusively online at Excelsior University. All of Excelsior University students are attending part time.

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2

Our rankings recognize Charter Oak State College as the #2 school in this year's rankings. Charter Oak State College is a small public school located in the large suburb of New Britain.

The student loan default rate at Charter Oak State College is lower than is typical, just 1.2% of students default in three years. All 1,618 students take classes exclusively online at Charter Oak State College. 1,235 students are part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Charter Oak State College

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL

DePaul University landed the #3 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts / sciences & humanities schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

About 1.0% of DePaul students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 8,996 students take at least one class online at DePaul. 3,547 students are part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at DePaul University

4

Thomas Edison State University comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. Located in the small city of Trenton, TESU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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. 9,641 students are part time.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Thomas Edison State University Report

5

The #5 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus. Located in the suburb of Teaneck, FDU is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, FDU also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities ranking.

The student loan default rate at FDU is lower than is typical, just 2.4% of students default in three years. 325 students at FDU are exclusively online. There are roughly 4,986 part time students in attendance at FDU.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus Report

6

The Evergreen State College landed the #6 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts / sciences & humanities schools for non-traditional students. Evergreen is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Olympia. Evergreen also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list. It's in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.2%. There are roughly 317 part time students in attendance at Evergreen.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at The Evergreen State College

7

Notre Dame of Maryland University comes in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Baltimore, NDMU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, NDMU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. 1,138 students at NDMU are exclusively online. About 1,206 of the students at NDMU are attending part time.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Notre Dame of Maryland University Report

8

Wayland Baptist University landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts / sciences & humanities schools for non-traditional students. Located in the town of Plainview, Wayland Baptist University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 1.4% of Wayland Baptist University students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 1,319 of Wayland Baptist University students are exclusively distance learners. 1,787 students are part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Wayland Baptist University

9

Our rankings recognize University of Bridgeport as the #9 school in this year's rankings. Located in the medium-sized city of Bridgeport, UBridgeport is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 2.9% of UBridgeport students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 1,056 students take at least one class online at UBridgeport. There are roughly 1,281 part time students in attendance at UBridgeport.

Read More…

10
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St. John's College
Santa Fe, NM

St. John's College earned the #10 spot in our 2021 rankings. St. John's is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Santa Fe. St. John's also took the #6 spot in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities rankings.

About 0.0% of St. John’s students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 37 of St. John’s students are attending part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at St. John’s College

11

The #11 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. University of Oklahoma is a very large public school located in the suburb of Norman. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, University of Oklahoma is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. Approximately 12,433 students take at least one class online at University of Oklahoma. 6,082 students are part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

12

Our rankings recognize Southern New Hampshire University as the #12 school in this year's rankings. SNHU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Manchester.

The student loan default rate at SNHU is lower than is typical, just 2.0% of students default in three years. 138,672 students at SNHU are exclusively online. There are roughly 102,147 part time students in attendance at SNHU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southern New Hampshire University

13

George Mason University comes in at #13 in this year's ranking. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, GMU is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

The student loan default rate at GMU is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. There are approximately 21,490 students at GMU that take at least one class online. 12,712 of GMU students are attending part time.

Read More…

14
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The King's College
New York, NY

The #14 spot in this year's ranking belongs to The King's College. TKC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York. TKC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

About 1.4% of TKC students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 75 students take at least one class online at TKC. About 33 of the students at TKC are attending part time.

Read More…

15
Columbia College Missouri crest
Columbia College
Columbia, MO

Columbia College comes in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

About 1.8% of Columbia College Missouri students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 4,157 students at Columbia College Missouri are exclusively online. About 4,001 of the students at Columbia College Missouri are attending part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Columbia College

16

Fort Hays State University comes in at #16 in this year's ranking. Located in the town of Hays, FHSU is a public college with a large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.8%. 6,600 students at FHSU are exclusively online. 8,687 of FHSU students are attending part time.

Read More…

17
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

The #17 spot in this year's ranking belongs to New York University. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. NYU also took the #9 spot in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities rankings.

About 0.8% of NYU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 21,614 students take at least one class online at NYU. About 8,829 of the students at NYU are attending part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at New York University

18

West Virginia University at Parkersburg comes in at #18 in this year's ranking. West Virginia University at Parkersburg is a small public school located in the suburb of Parkersburg.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 3.7%. There are approximately 628 students at West Virginia University at Parkersburg that take at least one class online. 1,238 students are part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at West Virginia University at Parkersburg

19

Our rankings recognize Brandman University as the #19 school in this year's rankings. Brandman is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Irvine.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. There are roughly 5,783 part time students in attendance at Brandman.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Brandman University

20

Brigham Young University - Provo earned the #20 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, BYU also did well on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.4%. There are approximately 12,325 students at BYU that take at least one class online. There are roughly 4,504 part time students in attendance at BYU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Brigham Young University - Provo

21

Saint Mary's College of California earned the #21 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, SMC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. 34 of SMC students are exclusively distance learners. 683 of SMC students are attending part time.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Saint Mary’s College of California

22
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA

Saint Joseph's University earned the #22 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Philadelphia, St. Joe's is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. St. Joe's excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

The student loan default rate at St. Joe’s is lower than is typical, just 1.2% of students default in three years. 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 / Sciences & Humanities at Saint Joseph’s University Report

23
Longwood crest
Longwood University
Farmville, VA

Longwood University earned the #23 spot in our 2021 rankings. Longwood is a small public school located in the remote town of Farmville. Longwood excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

About 1.6% of Longwood students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 904 of Longwood students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 1,338 part time students in attendance at Longwood.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Longwood University

24

Our rankings recognize Texas Woman's University as the #24 school in this year's rankings. TWU is a large public school located in the city of Denton.

About 1.5% of TWU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 6,914 of TWU students are exclusively distance learners. About 7,329 of the students at TWU are attending part time.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Texas Woman’s University Report

25

Southern Methodist University landed the #25 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts / sciences & humanities schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. SMU excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities list.

The student loan default rate at SMU is lower than is typical, just 1.1% of students default in three years. 912 of SMU students are exclusively distance learners. 3,019 students are part time.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southern Methodist University Report

Rest of the Top Schools for Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

26
27
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Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH
28
29
30
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Goddard College
Plainfield, VT
31
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Villanova University
Villanova, PA
32
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Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ

33

34
35
36
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Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
37
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Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA
38
39
40
41

42

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for non-traditional students studying Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
43 Southwestern Assemblies of God University Waxahachie, TX
44 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
45 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
46 University of North Texas Denton, TX
47 Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus Portales, NM
48 Adams State University Alamosa, CO
49 Northern Vermont University Johnson, VT
50 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
51 Governors State University University Park, IL
52 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
53 Belmont University Nashville, TN
54 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
55 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
56 Florida International University Miami, FL

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities by Region

View the best for non-traditional students Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities colleges in 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

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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