by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 332 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for liberal arts / sciences & humanities students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 37,813 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts / sciences & humanities to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of liberal arts / sciences & humanities for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality liberal arts / sciences & humanities program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for liberal arts / sciences & humanities students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for 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.
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for liberal arts / sciences & humanities students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
New York University is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from New York University
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities needs to take a look at Georgetown University. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Georgetown University
Yale University is a good option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Yale University
Harvard University is a great option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Harvard University
UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from The University of Texas at Austin
DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from DePaul University
University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Norman.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Villanova University
Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Arizona State University - Tempe
SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Southern Methodist University
Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Saint Mary’s College of California
Located in the city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of South Florida - Main Campus
Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from George Mason University
SNHU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized suburb of Manchester.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Southern New Hampshire University
Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from North Carolina State University
Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Drexel University
Located in the suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Seton Hall University
Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Iowa
Sac State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Sacramento.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from California State University - Sacramento
Located in the city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the fringe town of Storrs.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Connecticut
Located in the suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Rochester Institute of Technology
Located in the rural area of Santa Paula, TAC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Thomas Aquinas College
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from San Diego State University
This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 332 different United States liberal arts / sciences & humanities schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 52 | West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV |
| 53 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 54 | Indiana University - Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
| 55 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 56 | Arkansas State University - Main Campus | Jonesboro, AR |
| 57 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 58 | Kent State University at Kent | Kent, OH |
| 59 | University of Memphis | Memphis, TN |
| 60 | Florida International University | Miami, FL |
| 61 | California State University - Chico | Chico, CA |
| 62 | California State University - Monterey Bay | Seaside, CA |
| 63 | Indiana University - Southeast | New Albany, IN |
| 64 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
| 65 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 66 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
View the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 37,813 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 140,768 |
| Communication & Journalism | 82,134 |
| English Language & Literature | 34,388 |
| History | 23,992 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 18,886 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 18,875 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 13,318 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 8,669 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 6,878 |
