Ranked #1 in popularity, liberal arts general studies is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 132 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 37,944 associate degrees in liberal arts general studies to qualified students.
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Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School for Your Associate Degree
The liberal arts associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality liberal arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Major Focus - How much a school focuses on liberal arts general studies students vs. other majors.
Major Demand - The number of liberal arts general studies students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
Student Debt - How easy is it for liberal arts general studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized liberal arts general studies related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for an Associate in Liberal Arts
Vincennes University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Vincennes University is a large public university located in the town of Vincennes.
Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Vincennes University make $8,588 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
Lincoln Land Community College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the rural area of Springfield, LLCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from Lincoln Land Community College receive an earnings boost of around $4,156 above the typical income of liberal arts general studies majors.
Every student who is interested in an associate degree in liberal arts general studies needs to look into Ivy Tech Community College. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn an average of $26,524 in their early career salary.
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College get an earnings boost of about $6,639 above the typical income of liberal arts general studies majors.
UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Whitewater.
Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater earn a boost of about $3,306 above the typical earnings of liberal arts general studies graduates.
Oakland Community College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Auburn Hills.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from Oakland Community College make $7,339 more than the average liberal arts student.
College of Lake County is a large public college located in the suburb of Grayslake.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from College of Lake County earn $3,405 more than the typical liberal arts graduate.
Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global receive an earnings boost of approximately $13,503 over the typical earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.
Located in the suburb of North Canton, Kent State University at Stark is a public university with a small student population.
Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from Kent State University at Stark receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,961 above the typical income of liberal arts general studies majors.
Grand Rapids Community College is a large public college located in the city of Grand Rapids.
Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Grand Rapids Community College get $3,769 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the town of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from Indiana Wesleyan University receive an earnings boost of approximately $13,503 above the typical earnings of liberal arts general studies graduates.
Located in the rural area of Burton, Kent State University at Geauga is a public university with a small student population.
Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Kent State University at Geauga earn $4,961 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
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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 Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
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.
The liberal arts associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality liberal arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
