by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 102 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for liberal arts / sciences & humanities students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,766 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts / sciences & humanities during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The liberal arts / sciences & humanities bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. 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.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts / sciences & humanities students working on their bachelor's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat University of South Florida - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. USF Tampa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tampa.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of South Florida - Main Campus
It is difficult to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. GMU is a very large public university located in the suburb of Fairfax.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from George Mason University
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities has to check out North Carolina State University. NC State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Raleigh.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from North Carolina State University
It is difficult to beat James Madison University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. JMU is a very large public university located in the city of Harrisonburg.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from James Madison University
Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Middle Tennessee State University
U Miami is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Coral Gables.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Miami
FAU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Boca Raton.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Florida Atlantic University
Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Florida State University
Located in the city of Morgantown, WVU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from West Virginia University
A-State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Jonesboro.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Arkansas State University - Main Campus
UofM is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Memphis.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Memphis
FIU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Miami.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Florida International University
UofSC is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of South Carolina - Columbia
Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from American Public University System
UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Located in the small city of Huntington, Marshall University is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Marshall University
Union is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Jackson.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Union University
SEU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Lakeland.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Southeastern University
Located in the distant town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Harding University
Located in the town of Statesboro, GaSou is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Georgia Southern University
Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY |
| 22 | West Virginia University at Parkersburg | Parkersburg, WV |
| 23 | Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY |
| 24 | McNeese State University | Lake Charles, LA |
| 25 | University of Mary Washington | Fredericksburg, VA |
| 26 | Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights, KY |
| 27 | University of Mississippi | University, MS |
| 28 | Lee University | Cleveland, TN |
| 29 | Thomas More University | Crestview Hills, KY |
| 30 | Longwood University | Farmville, VA |
| 31 | Coastal Carolina University | Conway, SC |
| 32 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 33 | East Tennessee State University | Johnson City, TN |
| 34 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
Explore the best liberal arts / sciences & humanities schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 34 | 838 |
| Mississippi | 34 | 581 |
| Florida | 34 | 1,059 |
| Virginia | 34 | 2,473 |
| Alabama | 33 | 333 |
| Georgia | 33 | 619 |
| West Virginia | 32 | 1,012 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 654 |
| South Carolina | 32 | 463 |
| Kentucky | 31 | 916 |
| Louisiana | 31 | 1,077 |
| Arkansas | 30 | 514 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 9,766 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 28,960 |
| Communication & Journalism | 19,919 |
| English Language & Literature | 7,928 |
| History | 5,756 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 4,804 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 3,617 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 2,748 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 2,097 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 1,091 |
