Bachelor’s Degrees in Liberal Arts General Studies
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Education Levels of Liberal Arts Majors
In 2018-2019, 45,514 bachelor's degrees were awarded to liberal arts majors. This makes it the 11th most popular bachelor's degree program in the country.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in liberal arts at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Associate’s Degree | 411,234 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 78,686 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 45,514 |
Basic Certificate | 9,669 |
Master’s Degree | 2,109 |
Graduate Certificate | 218 |
Doctor’s Degree | 109 |
Earnings of Liberal Arts Majors With Bachelor’s Degrees
The median salary for graduates holding a bachelor's degree in liberal arts is $30,200. This number may vary for a lot of reasons. For instance, you may decide to move to a location where people with your degree are rare and make more money.
A better approximation of salary is to look at the typical range of salaries. In this case the low is $26,400 and the high is $33,900.

Student Debt
The median student debt for graduates holding a bachelor's degree in liberal arts is $23,644. The school you go to and how long it takes you to graduate, among other things, can cause this number to vary.
The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $27,000 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $20,137.

Those students who are paying back their debt on a 10-year repayment plan have a median monthly payment of $245.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their bachelor's degree in liberal arts. About 64.2% of graduates with this degree are female.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 16,289 |
Women | 29,225 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of liberal arts bachelor’s degree students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 1,650 |
Black or African American | 6,298 |
Hispanic or Latino | 6,962 |
White | 25,462 |
International Students | 1,083 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 4,059 |

Most Popular Liberal Arts Programs for Bachelor’s Degrees
There are 1,078 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
Excelsior College tops the list of the most popular school in the U.S. for liberal arts majors who are seeking their bachelor's degree. Roughly 30,000 attend the school each year. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 1,756 bachelor's degrees were handed out to liberal arts majors at Excelsior College. Around 23% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 49% were women.
University of Virginia - Main Campus comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in liberal arts. Roughly 24,600 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $14,970 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $16,578 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 1,006 people received their bachelor's degree in liberal arts from University of Virginia. Around 33% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 62% were women.
The 3rd most popular school in the country for liberal arts majors who are seeking their bachelor's degree is Southern New Hampshire University. Roughly 104,000 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $30,756 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $18,810 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 773 people received their bachelor's degree in liberal arts from SNHU. Around 26% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 53% were women.
The Evergreen State College comes in at #4 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in liberal arts. Each year, around 3,300 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,005 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,760 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 719 people received their bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Evergreen. About 63% of this group were women, and 31% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 5th most popular school in the country for liberal arts majors who are seeking their bachelor's degree is University of North Texas. Roughly 38,200 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $8,295 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $5,900 per year.
The liberal arts program at University of North Texas awarded 697 bachelor's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 54% of this group were women, and 53% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Brigham Young University - Idaho is the 6th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Each year, around 42,300 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 647 bachelor's degrees were handed out to liberal arts majors at BYU - I. About 79% of this group were women, and 8% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
New York University is the 7th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Roughly 51,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $50,684 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $33,408 per year.
The liberal arts program at New York University awarded 552 bachelor's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 36% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 67% were women.
The 8th most popular school in the country for liberal arts majors who are seeking their bachelor's degree is Northern Arizona University. Each year, around 31,000 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $10,018 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $10,305 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 546 bachelor's degrees were handed out to liberal arts majors at NAU. Around 38% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 62% were women.
Thomas Edison State University comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in liberal arts. Each year, around 10,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,926 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,024 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 501 people received their bachelor's degree in liberal arts from TESU. Around 25% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 59% were women.
The 10th most popular school in the country for liberal arts majors who are seeking their bachelor's degree is Columbia College. Roughly 12,000 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $10,912 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,602 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 444 bachelor's degrees were handed out to liberal arts majors at Columbia College Missouri. Of these students, 42% were women and 37% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
University of Mississippi comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in liberal arts. Each year, around 22,400 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $8,718 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,718 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 429 bachelor's degrees were handed out to liberal arts majors at Ole Miss. Of these students, 53% were women and 40% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 12th most popular school in the country for liberal arts majors who are seeking their bachelor's degree is California State University - Fresno. Each year, around 25,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,742 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,176 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 424 people received their bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Fresno State. Around 72% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 87% were women.
Middle Tennessee State University is the 13th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Roughly 21,600 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,200 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,946 per year.
The liberal arts program at Middle Tennessee State University awarded 372 bachelor's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 59% of this group were women, and 32% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
California State University - Northridge is the 14th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Roughly 40,200 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,742 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,176 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 361 people received their bachelor's degree in liberal arts from CSUN. About 78% of this group were women, and 72% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in liberal arts. Roughly 28,500 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $4,788 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $6,583 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 356 bachelor's degrees were handed out to liberal arts majors at University of Oklahoma. Of these students, 57% were women and 31% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus is the 16th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Each year, around 7,800 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $41,154 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $22,186 per year.
The liberal arts program at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus awarded 349 bachelor's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 36% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 39% were women.
The University of Texas at Arlington comes in at #17 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in liberal arts. Roughly 47,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $8,624 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,474 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 345 people received their bachelor's degree in liberal arts from UT Arlington. Around 54% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 61% were women.
George Mason University comes in at #18 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in liberal arts. Each year, around 37,300 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $9,060 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,144 per year.
The liberal arts program at George Mason University awarded 329 bachelor's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 45% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 75% were women.
Florida International University is the 19th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Each year, around 57,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $4,721 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,912 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 327 people received their bachelor's degree in liberal arts from FIU. Around 91% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 66% were women.
The 20th most popular school in the country for liberal arts majors who are seeking their bachelor's degree is Arizona State University - Skysong. Roughly 38,500 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $8,867 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $6,384 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 311 bachelor's degrees were handed out to liberal arts majors at ASU - Skysong. Around 32% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 63% were women.
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References
*The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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