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Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region

318 Colleges
$25,841 Avg Salary
$16,920 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies 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.

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 Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 318 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region

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

Top 25 Top Southeast Region Schools 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 degree in the Southeast Region . American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town.

Liberal Arts majors at American Military University take out an average of $5,688 in student loans while working on their egree.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means North Carolina State University is a great place for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a very large student population.

Liberal Arts majors at NC State take out an average of $26,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#3

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL

The excellent programs at Columbia Southern University helped the school earn the #3 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 fringe town of Orange Beach.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Columbia Southern University carry an average student debtload of $15,714.

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Out of the 318 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Mountwest Community and Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. MCTC is a small public school located in the suburb of Huntington.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at MCTC take out is $13,329.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Florida SouthWestern State College is a great place for liberal arts general studies students. FSW is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fort Myers.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from FSW carry an average student debtload of $8,000.

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#6

Duke University

Durham, NC

With a ranking of #6, Duke University did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#7

University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL

With a ranking of #7, University of Miami did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Coral Gables.

Liberal Arts majors at U Miami take out an average of $23,385 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the rural area of Orangeburg, OCtech is a public school with a small student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from OCtech take out $14,580 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Hillsborough Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. HCC is a large public school located in the city of Tampa.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at HCC accumulate an average of around $11,000 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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#10

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA

With a ranking of #10, Eastern Mennonite University did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Eastern Mennonite is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Eastern Mennonite take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#11

St Petersburg College

Clearwater, FL

St Petersburg College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the city of Clearwater, SPC is a public college with a very large student population.

Liberal Arts majors at SPC take out an average of $13,270 in student loans while working on their egree.

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With a ranking of #12, Northern Virginia Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Northern Virginia Community College take out $11,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Bluegrass Community and Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the large city of Lexington, Bluegrass Community and Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Bluegrass Community and Technical College take out is $12,700.

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#14

Troy University

Troy, AL

Troy University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. TROY is a fairly large public school located in the remote town of Troy.

On average, liberal arts graduates from TROY take out $27,125 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#15

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, FL

Indian River State College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Indian River State College is a large public school located in the suburb of Fort Pierce.

Liberal Arts majors at Indian River State College take out an average of $7,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#16

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, VA

With a ranking of #16, Bridgewater College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the small suburb of Bridgewater, Bridgewater is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Bridgewater carry an average student debtload of $24,440.

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South Piedmont Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. South Piedmont Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Polkton.

On average, liberal arts graduates from South Piedmont Community College take out $11,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#18

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

Belmont University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Belmont accumulate an average of around $35,500 in student debt.

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Seminole State College of Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the small city of Sanford, Seminole State is a public college with a large student population.

Liberal Arts majors at Seminole State take out an average of $10,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #20 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $15,712 in student debt.

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#21

Daytona State College

Daytona Beach, FL

Daytona State College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the city of Daytona Beach, Daytona State College is a public college with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Daytona State College take out is $9,379.

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#22

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

With a ranking of #22, James Madison University did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at JMU accumulate an average of around $23,243 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $416, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#23

Polk State College

Winter Haven, FL

With a ranking of #23, Polk State College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the city of Winter Haven, Polk State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Polk State carry an average student debtload of $8,750.

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#24

Saint Leo University

Saint Leo, FL

Saint Leo University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small suburb of Saint Leo, St. Leo University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from St. Leo University take out $32,153 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#25

West Liberty University

West Liberty, WV

West Liberty University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the rural area of West Liberty, West Liberty University is a public school with a small student population.

Liberal Arts majors at West Liberty University take out an average of $30,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

#29

Union University

Jackson, TN
#30

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, GA
#32

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA
#40

Valencia College

Orlando, FL
#41

Shorter University

Rome, GA
#44

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA
#47

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 Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
48 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
49 The College of the Florida Keys Key West, FL
50 Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN
51 Chipola College Marianna, FL
52 Athens State University Athens, AL
53 Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL
54 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
55 Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC
56 NorthWest Arkansas Community College Bentonville, AR
57 Broward College Fort Lauderdale, FL
58 Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC
59 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
60 Miami Dade College Miami, FL
61 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
62 West Virginia University Institute of Technology Beckley, WV
63 Gateway Community and Technical College Florence, KY

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies schools 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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