Best Liberal Arts and General Studies colleges in California

Best Liberal Arts and General Studies colleges in California for 2025

Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, CA

Santa Monica College offers 5 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a small city. In 2023, 4,299 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 2,693 Certificates, and 1,606 Associate's degrees.

Ashford University
San Diego, CA

Ashford University offers 10 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a very large, private for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 365 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 188 Bachelor's degrees, and 177 Master's degrees.

Northcentral University
San Diego, CA

Northcentral University offers 14 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 600 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 312 Doctoral degrees, 171 Master's degrees, 113 Certificates, and 4 Bachelor's degrees.

Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, CA

Orange Coast College offers 2 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a large, public, two-year college in a midsize city. In 2023, 2,056 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 1,656 Certificates, and 400 Associate's degrees.

Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, CA

Saddleback College offers 2 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a large, public, two-year college in a large suburb. In 2023, 4,772 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 2,758 Associate's degrees, and 2,014 Certificates.

MiraCosta College
Oceanside, CA

MiraCosta College offers 4 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a large, public, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2023, 1,300 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 931 Certificates, and 369 Associate's degrees.

Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, CA

Santa Barbara City College offers 3 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a large, public, two-year college in a small city. In 2023, 1,370 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 951 Certificates, and 419 Associate's degrees.

Azusa Pacific University offers 7 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a medium sized, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2023, 113 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 66 Master's degrees, 25 Doctoral degrees, and 22 Bachelor's degrees.

Irvine Valley College offers 2 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a large, public, two-year college in a large city. In 2023, 2,577 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 1,312 Associate's degrees, and 1,265 Certificates.

Golden West College
Huntington Beach, CA

Golden West College offers 3 Liberal Arts and General Studies degree programs. It's a large, public, two-year college in a large suburb. In 2023, 3,116 Liberal Arts and General Studies students graduated with students earning 1,766 Certificates, and 1,350 Associate's degrees.

List of all Liberal Arts and General Studies colleges in California

School Average Tuition Student Teacher Ratio Enrolled Students
Santa Monica College Logo Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA
1/5
66 : 1 23,164
Ashford University Logo Ashford University San Diego, CA
3/5
336 : 1 32,604
Northcentral University Logo Northcentral University San Diego, CA
3/5
  10,518
Orange Coast College Logo Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA
1/5
66 : 1 17,085
Saddleback College Logo Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA
1/5
71 : 1 18,370