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Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

249 Colleges
$24,682 Avg Salary
$12,147 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 556,813 degrees and certificates were awarded to liberal arts general studies students, making the major the most popular in the country.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 249 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for liberal arts majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 25 Top Southeast Region Schools for an Associate in Liberal Arts General Studies

Our analysis found American Public University System to be the best school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Southeast Region . American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at American Military University accumulate an average of around $10,159 in student debt.

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#2

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL

The excellent associate degree programs at Columbia Southern University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in the Southeast Region . Columbia Southern University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the town of Orange Beach.

Liberal Arts majors at Columbia Southern University take out an average of $21,013 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Mountwest Community and Technical College is a great place for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. MCTC is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Huntington.

After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from MCTC carry an average student debtload of $13,273.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Florida SouthWestern State College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. FSW is a large public school located in the large suburb of Fort Myers.

Liberal Arts majors at FSW take out an average of $10,213 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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The excellent associate degree programs at Northern Virginia Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Northern Virginia Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,313.

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Hillsborough Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. HCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Tampa.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at HCC accumulate an average of around $14,800 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $114.

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#7

St Petersburg College

Clearwater, FL

St Petersburg College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Clearwater, SPC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at SPC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,385.

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#8

Union University

Jackson, TN

Union University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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With a ranking of #9, Bluegrass Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Lexington, Bluegrass Community and Technical College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Liberal Arts majors at Bluegrass Community and Technical College take out an average of $16,168 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#10

Troy University

Troy, AL

Troy University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. TROY is a large public school located in the town of Troy.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at TROY accumulate an average of around $27,550 in student debt.

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#11

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, FL

Indian River State College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Indian River State College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fort Pierce.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Indian River State College accumulate an average of around $9,976 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #12, South Piedmont Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. South Piedmont Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Polkton.

Liberal Arts majors at South Piedmont Community College take out an average of $11,068 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#13

Saint Leo University

Saint Leo, FL

Saint Leo University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the suburb of Saint Leo, St. Leo University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at St. Leo University take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,065.

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Seminole State College of Florida ranked #14 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Sanford, Seminole State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Liberal Arts majors at Seminole State take out an average of $13,032 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#15

Daytona State College

Daytona Beach, FL

Daytona State College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Daytona Beach, Daytona State College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Daytona State College take out $12,095 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#16

Polk State College

Winter Haven, FL

Polk State College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the small city of Winter Haven, Polk State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Polk State accumulate an average of around $12,267 in student debt.

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Wake Technical Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Wake Technical Community College carry an average student debtload of $15,100.

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University of Central Florida landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. UCF is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Orlando.

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#19

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, GA

With a ranking of #19, University of North Georgia did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Dahlonega, UNG is a public college with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at UNG take out while working on their Associate Degree is $14,469.

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#20

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA

Eastern Mennonite University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Eastern Mennonite is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

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University of Louisiana at Monroe ranked #21 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Monroe, ULM is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from ULM take out $18,998 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Eastern Florida State College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. EFSC is a large public school located in the suburb of Cocoa.

On average, liberal arts graduates from EFSC take out $12,896 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Alamance Community College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Graham, ACC is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at ACC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $9,821.

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Jefferson Community and Technical College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the large city of Louisville, Jefferson Community and Technical College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Jefferson Community and Technical College carry an average student debtload of $18,987.

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Coastal Alabama Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the town of Bay Minette, Coastal Alabama Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Coastal Alabama Community College take out $11,487 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Rest of the Top Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

#30

Valencia College

Orlando, FL
#31

Shorter University

Rome, GA
#36

University of Mount Olive

Mount Olive, NC

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
38 Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College Orangeburg, SC
39 The College of the Florida Keys Key West, FL
40 Chipola College Marianna, FL
41 Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL
42 Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC
43 Broward College Fort Lauderdale, FL
44 Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC
45 Miami Dade College Miami, FL
46 Lord Fairfax Community College Middletown, VA
47 Gateway Community and Technical College Florence, KY
48 Lenoir Community College Kinston, NC
49 Tallahassee Community College Tallahassee, FL

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 7,724
Virginia 9,302
North Carolina 18,234
Florida 64,444
Tennessee 10,186
Kentucky 6,493
South Carolina 4,243
Louisiana 2,864
Arkansas 5,205
Alabama 5,890
Mississippi 5,696
West Virginia 3,558

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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