2025 Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California

Ranked #2 in popularity, general studies is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for general studies students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 288 associate degrees in general studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great General Studies School for Your Associate Degree

Your choice of general studies for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on general studies students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other general studies students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized general studies related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general studies students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study General Studies in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in general studies.

Top California Schools for an Associate in General Studies

1

Brandman University
Irvine, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

122 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Brandman University if you wish to pursue an associate degree in general studies. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in general studies from Brandman University

2

National University
San Diego, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

129 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in general studies has to look into National University. National University is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego.More information about a associate in general studies from National University

3

Life Pacific College
San Dimas, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

15 Annual Graduates

Life Pacific College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in general studies. Located in the large suburb of San Dimas, LIFE Bible College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a associate in general studies from Life Pacific College

4

University of La Verne
La Verne, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

15 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of La Verne if you want to pursue an associate degree in general studies. ULV is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of La Verne.More information about a associate in general studies from University of La Verne

Best General Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	288	13
Oregon	260	3,012
Nevada	185	370
Hawaii	79	107
Alaska	71	5

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to General Studies

One of 3 majors within the Liberal Arts General Studies area of study, General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Majors Related to General Studies

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts	31,990
Humanities	13,953
Individualized Studies	10

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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.