Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

26 Colleges
$5,976 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,128 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies School for You

In 2020-2021, liberal arts general studies students earned 5,890 degrees and certificates from an Alabama school, making the subject the 3rd in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 26 schools in Alabama to see which ones offered the best value programs for liberal arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama

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

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

#1

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL
$5,775 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Columbia Southern University to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a degree in Alabama. Columbia Southern University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the town of Orange Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia Southern University are $5,775 a year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Columbia Southern University accumulate an average of around $15,714 in student debt.

Columbia Southern University also took the #1 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama rankings.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Columbia Southern University

$4,860 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Coastal Alabama Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama list. Located in the town of Bay Minette, Coastal Alabama Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Coastal Alabama Community College are $4,860 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Coastal Alabama Community College carry an average student debtload of $9,607.

Read More…

$4,800 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Wallace Community College, Dothan. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama list. Located in the city of Dothan, Wallace, Dothan is a public school with a small student population.

Wallace, Dothan undergraduate students pay an average of $4,800 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Wallace, Dothan take out $6,200 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, Wallace, Dothan is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama list.

Read More…

$4,860 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Southern Union State Community College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students. Southern Union State Community College is a small public school located in the remote area of Wadley.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southern Union State Community College are $4,860 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Southern Union State Community College take out is $10,485.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Southern Union State Community College Report

$4,940 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at John C Calhoun State Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in Alabama. Calhoun Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Tanner.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Calhoun Community College are $4,940 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Calhoun Community College take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at John C Calhoun State Community College Report

$4,831 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwest-Shoals Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Alabama list. NW-SCC is a small public school located in the small city of Muscle Shoals.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NW-SCC are $4,831 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from NW-SCC carry an average student debtload of $9,225.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Northwest-Shoals Community College

$4,587 Average Tuition & Fees

Shelton State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, Shelton State Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Shelton State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,587 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Shelton State Community College accumulate an average of around $5,500 in student debt.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Shelton State Community College Report

$4,860 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Lawson State Community College - Birmingham Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the medium-sized city of Birmingham, LSCC - Birmingham Campus is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LSCC - Birmingham Campus are $4,860 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from LSCC - Birmingham Campus take out $9,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

$4,860 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Bishop State Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the midsize city of Mobile, Bishop State Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Bishop State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,860 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Bishop State Community College take out $7,264 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Bishop State Community College

$4,560 Average Tuition & Fees

Wallace Community College, Selma did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. WCCS is a small public school located in the distant town of Selma.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCCS are $4,560 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at WCCS take out is $8,750.

Read More…

Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that 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
Mississippi 5,696
West Virginia 3,558

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.