Best Schools for Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities graduates earn a median of $53,666 within four years of graduating, ranking #189 out of 283 tracked majors — 14% below the median across all fields. There are 515 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 48,240 recent graduates.
Where you study matters: Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates earn $147,998 while Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez graduates earn $28,523 — a $119,475 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap. Across all fields, though, which major you pick separates earnings more than which college does.
Early career salary growth is modest: Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities graduates see an average 1% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.
Public vs Private: Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Private schools produce $5,255 more in early earnings on average for Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities graduates. Factor in tuition difference to calculate which offers better ROI.
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities by State
Also by state: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Top Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Schools by Graduate Earnings
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA · Private
Yale University
New Haven, CT · Private
Georgetown University
Washington, DC · Private
Bentley University
Waltham, MA · Private
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private
Champlain College
Burlington, VT · Private
Emory University
Atlanta, GA · Private
DePaul University
Chicago, IL · Private
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA · Private
University of Hartford
West Hartford, CT · Private
Texas A&M University-College Station
College Station, TX · Public
Life University
Marietta, GA · Private
University of Mount Union
Alliance, OH · Private
Union College
Schenectady, NY · Private
Rutgers University-Camden
Camden, NJ · Public
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA · Public
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public
William Jewell College
Liberty, MO · Private
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · Public
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA · Private
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT · Private
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND · Public
Molloy University
Rockville Centre, NY · Private
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN · Public
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH · Private
Saint Mary's College of California
Moraga, CA · Private
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY · Public
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT · Private
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI · Public
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ · Private
Ave Maria University
Ave Maria, FL · Private
Regis College
Weston, MA · Private
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH · Private
New York University
New York, NY · Private
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI · Public
Dominican University of California
San Rafael, CA · Private
Pace University
New York, NY · Private
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Norman, OK · Public
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO · Public
St. Francis College
Brooklyn, NY · Private
University of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN · Private
Seattle University
Seattle, WA · Private
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY · Private
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, IA · Private
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI · Public
Showing top 50 of 515 schools. View all or filter by state above.
Majors with Similar Earnings
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders, from the field-of-study file last updated June 2026. Institution-level figures elsewhere on the site come from the June 2026 release — Scorecard publishes the two separately.
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