2023 Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's Degree School for You
With 556,813 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, liberal arts / sciences and humanities is the #3 most popular major in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 429 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
2023 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the liberal arts / sciences and humanities bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts & Humanities
Our 2023 rankings named Massachusetts Institute of Technology the best school in the United States for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report
Out of the 429 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at American Public University System Report
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Excelsior College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in the United States. Excelsior College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Albany.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Excelsior College Report
Out of the 429 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Raleigh.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Bentley University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in the United States. Bentley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waltham.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Bentley University Report
Georgetown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
With a ranking of #7, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their bachelor’s degree. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
National University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at National University Report
Brandman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Brandman University Report
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin Report
Columbia College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Columbia College Report
University of Notre Dame ranked #12 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Notre Dame Report
Drexel University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Drexel University
University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Missouri - Columbia
Thomas Edison State University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. TESU is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Trenton.
DePaul University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at DePaul University Report
Southern Methodist University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. SMU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southern Methodist University
Wayland Baptist University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Wayland Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Plainview.
University of Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Chicago Report
The King’s College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of New York, TKC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at The King’s College Report
Loyola Marymount University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Saint Joseph’s University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. St. Joe's is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Saint Joseph’s University
Rider University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Rider is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lawrenceville.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Rider University
University of Kansas came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Kansas Report
Union College New York ranked #25 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Union College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Schenectady.
Rest of the Top Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools
Additional Award Winners
This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 429 different United States liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Morgan State University | Baltimore, MD |
| 52 | Belmont University | Nashville, TN |
| 53 | Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, TX |
| 54 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 55 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 56 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 57 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 58 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 59 | West Liberty University | West Liberty, WV |
| 60 | Saint Mary’s College of California | Moraga, CA |
| 61 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 62 | Westmont College | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 63 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 64 | Simpson College | Indianola, IA |
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts & Humanities students that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | Troy University | Troy, AL |
| 66 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 67 | Southern New Hampshire University | Manchester, NH |
| 68 | Rutgers University - Camden | Camden, NJ |
| 69 | University of Missouri - Kansas City | Kansas City, MO |
| 70 | New York University | New York, NY |
| 71 | Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus | Teaneck, NJ |
| 72 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
| 73 | University of Central Missouri | Warrensburg, MO |
| 74 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 75 | University of Central Oklahoma | Edmond, OK |
| 76 | Baker College | Owosso, MI |
| 77 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 78 | Shenandoah University | Winchester, VA |
| 79 | Providence College | Providence, RI |
| 80 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 81 | Stockton University | Galloway, NJ |
| 82 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 83 | Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, TN |
| 84 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
| 85 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities by Region
View the Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Rankings
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Related Rankings by Major
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 556,813 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Visual & Performing Arts | 149,215 |
| English Language & Literature | 54,635 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 33,333 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 27,459 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 19,993 |
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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.