Liberal Arts and General Studies colleges in California, ranked by graduates
32 colleges in California awarded at least 10 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and general studies in 2023: 4,057 degrees, 3.6% of all bachelor's degrees at those colleges (1.9% across every college CollegeCalcAI tracks). Fresno State University graduated the most (481, 9.3% of its class). 20 of the 32 are public universities. The median acceptance rate among them is 87%; the most selective is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at 31%.
Liberal Arts and General Studies colleges in California
Every California college awarding at least 10 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and general studies, ranked by 2023 graduates. Click a college for its liberal arts and general studies page.
| # | College | Type | Degrees (2023) | Share of grads | Acceptance rate | SAT 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresno State University | Public | 481 | 9.3% | 95% | 1160 |
| 2 | Cal State Long Beach | Public | 293 | 3.3% | 46% | 1280 |
| 3 | Cal State Stanislaus | Public | 287 | 11.6% | 98% | 1080 |
| 4 | Cal State San Bernardino | Public | 269 | 6.2% | 94% | 1090 |
| 5 | San Diego State University | Public | 268 | 3.1% | 36% | 1340 |
| 6 | Cal State Northridge | Public | 255 | 3.1% | 93% | 1150 |
| 7 | Cal State Monterey Bay | Public | 238 | 13.4% | 97% | 1130 |
| 8 | Cal State Chico | Public | 203 | 6.2% | 93% | 1170 |
| 9 | Cal State Dominguez Hills | Public | 170 | 5.4% | 93% | 1020 |
| 10 | Cal State Fullerton | Public | 154 | 1.6% | 91% | 1230 |
| 11 | Cal State San Marcos | Public | 146 | 4.4% | 95% | 1190 |
| 12 | Sacramento State University | Public | 145 | 1.9% | 94% | 1170 |
| 13 | Cal State Los Angeles | Public | 143 | 2.7% | 91% | 1150 |
| 14 | Cal Poly Pomona | Public | 139 | 2.4% | 75% | 1300 |
| 15 | Fresno Pacific University | Private | 136 | 26.2% | 64% | 1150 |
| 16 | Thomas Aquinas College | Private | 107 | 100% | 83% | 1360 |
| 17 | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Public | 100 | 2% | 31% | 1420 |
| 18 | UC Riverside | Public | 83 | 1.5% | 76% | 1300 |
| 19 | Cal State East Bay | Public | 79 | 2.5% | 97% | 1080 |
| 20 | Azusa Pacific University | Private | 54 | 4.5% | 88% | 1200 |
| 21 | San Jose State University | Public | 53 | 0.8% | 85% | 1220 |
| 22 | San Francisco State University | Public | 47 | 0.9% | 96% | 1180 |
| 23 | Cal Poly Humboldt | Public | 38 | 2.9% | 98% | 1150 |
| 24 | California Baptist University | Private | 34 | 1.8% | 85% | 1170 |
| 25 | Concordia University Irvine | Private | 26 | 6.2% | 66% | 1150 |
| 26 | Masters University | Private | 22 | 6.7% | 84% | 1120 |
| 27 | California Lutheran University | Private | 20 | 3.1% | 76% | 1230 |
| 28 | University of San Diego | Private | 15 | 1.2% | 52% | 1360 |
| 29 | Loyola Marymount University | Private | 13 | 0.8% | 45% | 1370 |
| 30 | Saint Mary's College of California | Private | 13 | 1.9% | 87% | 1290 |
| 31 | Westmont College | Private | 13 | 4% | 77% | 1150 |
| 32 | Simpson University | Private | 13 | 7.2% | 86% | 1060 |
Questions about liberal arts and general studies colleges in California
What is the best college for liberal arts and general studies in California?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in 2023, the largest liberal arts and general studies programs in California are Fresno State University (481), Cal State Long Beach (293), Cal State Stanislaus (287). "Best" depends on your profile: this page ranks every California college in the field by output and shows each one's acceptance rate and admitted SAT so you can match it to your own numbers.
How many colleges in California offer liberal arts and general studies?
32 four-year colleges in California awarded 10 or more bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and general studies in 2023, 20 public and 12 private, for 4,057 graduates in total.
Is in-state status an advantage for liberal arts and general studies in California?
At the 20 public universities on this list, California residents are usually admitted at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants and pay in-state tuition. CollegeCalcAI applies the residency effect when you set your home state, and the per-major adjustment when you set the major.
Liberal Arts and General Studies elsewhere
The same field in other states, and the national ranking.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 Completions (bachelor's degrees, first majors, CIP 2-digit series), joined to CollegeCalcAI's admissions dataset. Built 2026-09-19. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are not predictions or guarantees.