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Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

155 Colleges
$30,635 Avg Salary
$19,425 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies School for You

Liberal Arts General Studies is the most popular major in the United States with 43,359 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 155 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges.

Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

#1

Excelsior College

Albany, NY

Our 2023 rankings named Excelsior College the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for liberal arts general studies students. Excelsior College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Albany.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Excelsior College carry an average student debtload of $10,134.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Excelsior College Report

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#2

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Georgetown take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Maryland Global Campus. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the suburb of Adelphi, UMGC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at UMGC take out is $15,681.

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#4

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Johns Hopkins University is a great place for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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#5

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Drexel University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Drexel take out $29,666 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Drexel University Report

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With a ranking of #6, Thomas Edison State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. TESU is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Trenton.

On average, liberal arts graduates from TESU take out $15,974 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#7

The King's College

New York, NY

With a ranking of #7, The King’s College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the city of New York, TKC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at TKC accumulate an average of around $22,625 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $379.

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#8

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, PA

Saint Joseph’s University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. St. Joe's is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

Liberal Arts majors at St. Joe's take out an average of $42,974 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#9

Union College New York

Schenectady, NY

Union College New York landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. Union College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Schenectady.

Liberal Arts majors at Union College take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#10

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ

Rider University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. Rider is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lawrenceville.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Rider take out is $31,375.

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With a ranking of #11, Baltimore City Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Baltimore City Community College is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Baltimore City Community College accumulate an average of around $7,112 in student debt.

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#12

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY

Stony Brook University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #12 on the list. SUNY Stony Brook is a very large public school located in the suburb of Stony Brook.

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#13

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania ranked #13 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

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#14

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Villanova.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Villanova take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Pitt is a very large public school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

Liberal Arts majors at Pitt take out an average of $28,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#16

Morgan State University

Baltimore, MD

Morgan State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Morgan State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Morgan State take out $31,625 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $359, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. RIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Rochester.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at RIT accumulate an average of around $29,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $557.

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#18

Chesapeake College

Wye Mills, MD

With a ranking of #18, Chesapeake College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Chesapeake College is a small public school located in the rural area of Wye Mills.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Chesapeake College take out $5,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Chesapeake College Report

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Rutgers University - Camden came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the city of Camden, Rutgers Camden is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Liberal Arts majors at Rutgers Camden take out an average of $25,250 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $250.

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With a ranking of #20, Delaware Technical Community College - Terry did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Delaware Tech is a large public school located in the city of Dover.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Delaware Tech accumulate an average of around $9,500 in student debt.

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#21

New York University

New York, NY

New York University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at NYU take out is $22,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $961, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. FDU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Teaneck.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at FDU take out is $18,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $179.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus Report

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With a ranking of #23, Anne Arundel Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. AACC is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Arnold.

On average, liberal arts graduates from AACC take out $9,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the Middle Atlantic Region that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
24 College of Southern Maryland La Plata, MD
25 Stockton University Galloway, NJ
26 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
27 University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown Johnstown, PA
28 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY
29 Community College of Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
30 Prince George’s Community College Largo, MD
31 Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 3,589
New York 19,150
Maryland 9,515
New Jersey 9,619
District of Columbia 145
Delaware 649

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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