25 Best Online Liberal Arts Colleges

California Baptist University (Cal Baptist) is a private, Christian liberal arts school that incorporates a conservative, faith-based perspective in its curriculum. They are known for their commitment to student formation and their many strong online programs based in a liberal arts education. Among them, the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies degree is an ideal program for students seeking a well-rounded, multidisciplinary academic experience. And for those who are thinking about teaching, this liberal arts degree is a perfect fit as the interdisciplinary curriculum introduces students to a range of teaching styles and issues of diversity that reflect today’s multicultural classroom.

But even if you’re not interested in teaching, this program will expose the intersections of many different fields of study, giving you not only the technical skillsets—such as oral and written communication—needed to succeed in those intersections, but the critical thinking and problem solving abilities that will help you flourish in whatever career you choose. As an online Cal Baptist student studying liberal arts your passions and interests are given significant weight when creating the curriculum. However, it is encouraged you take on one of the assigned concentrations: English, human development, kinesiology, or social science.

Based in Riverside, California Baptist University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Champlain College is known for its unique, “upside down” approach to education: students are allowed to take higher-level courses in their first few semesters as a way to familiarize themselves with their prospective majors. Likewise, Champlain’s online programs are student-centric in that they consider their students’ current situation and responsibilities. Thus, the distance education model at Champlain is based in traditional liberal arts programming but brings in professional development to best meet the needs of their online students, most of whom are returning adult learners who balance school with work and family.

For example, the online Bachelor’s in Integrated Studies degree offers a well-rounded general education core that can be supplemented with career-focused courses in healthcare, technology, or business. This is a completion degree, so it’s expected you have a number of credits to transfer, but that means that at Champlain you’ll get to dive right into your interests and passions. In addition to learning how to evaluate and integrate differing perspectives, experiences, and ideas, you will also explore ethical decision making, data mining as a way to problem solve, and how to make and achieve goals with limited resources.

Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Champlain is a highly ranked university with many awards and accolades to its name.

The University of Massachusetts system, including UMass Lowell, is recognized as being a longtime provider of quality traditional and online education. Specifically for working professionals, the UMass Lowell online liberal arts program gives students the options of studying full or part-time and of either taking classes fully online or mixing online coursework with on-campus classes. There are many online degrees to choose among, including a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree that allows you to fully explore the depths and range of a balanced liberal arts curriculum.

If you decide to pursue a comprehensive liberal arts degree from UMass Lowell then you will have the option of choosing two concentrations from many subjects, including art history, economics, English, history, legal studies, political science, psychology, and gender studies. Through your online coursework you will investigate the many psychological, historical, and social issues that affect our local, national, and global communities. You will work closely with faculty, academic advisors, career counselors, and more at UMass Lowell online, so you can be assured you will know success both academically and professionally.

Ranked among the best online programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report, UMass Online is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) works with all eight IU campuses to offer many online degree completion programs. With a long history of providing a liberal arts education to its students regardless of their major or intended career, IUPUI now offers a full liberal arts degree that is multidisciplinary in scope (one that is inclusive of math and the sciences) and that guides students toward meeting their educational as well as professional goals.

The online Bachelor’s of General Studies degree is a highly individualized program that gives students the agency and opportunity to actively design their own academic experience. In fact, this is probably the most versatile degree on our list in terms of its breadth of concentrations, electives, and specializations. You should also expect to supplement your degree with an internship or capstone course or project. Finally, IUPUI is one of the only schools on our ranking to offer nearly half a dozen scholarships that are specifically allocated to liberal arts and general studies students.

A public university, Indiana University–Purdue University is a mid-sized research institution that specializes in providing professional education to nearly half its students population. They are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Regent University is a Christian university that incorporates faith heavily into the curriculum. They are also home to a huge distance education program with dozens of online degrees, at all undergraduate and advanced levels and in a number of areas. Before enrolling, especially if you have few to no college credits to transfer, you should know that Regent requires a general education curriculum that is comprised of the standard subjects (public speaking, biology, composition, etc.) but also Old Testament studies, New Testament studies, Christian history and thought, and the making of the Christian mind.

Regent is a liberal arts school to the core. They emphasize worldview and critical thinking, community and collaboration, and the integration of passion and profession. With over a dozen online Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies degrees, students can specialize in everything from government and history to information systems, English, Christian ministry, or business. Regent even offers an Associate’s in General Studies degree that brings together history, art and aesthetics, foreign languages with math, geography, and psychology.

Regent University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. U.S. News & World Report Ranks their online learning platform as among the best in the country.

Like UMass Lowell, the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth offers a number of flexible, affordable online degrees that are marked by their liberal arts emphasis. And also like its sister school, UMass Dartmouth programs are ideal for those who have some college credit already and are looking to finish their degree. Among the many they have to choose from, all provide a liberal arts approach; and one can even attain a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree that explicitly allows them to explore the many dimensions of the humanities and sciences.

The Bachelor or Liberal Arts (LAR) program develops in its students—both online and in the classroom—a variety of skill sets including polished communication abilities, assessment and decision making, critical thinking and analysis, and how to work both productively and independently. This program requires that you choose two concentrations from the seven provided: economics, English literature and criticism, history, philosophy, political science, sociology and anthropology, and women and gender studies. UMass Dartmouth graduates of the LAR program have found work in sales, human resources, reporting, politics, public policy, social work, and law.

UMass Dartmouth is located in North Dartmouth and is home to approximately 8,000 undergraduate students. It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

For those interested in an education grounded in both a liberal arts and Roman Catholic approach to pedagogy, Saint Leo University is an ideal fit. It is also known for its Center for Online Learning, which enrolls thousands of students each year and is often ranked among the top online programs in the country. It allows students to start from the beginning or to transfer credits from military training, past learning experiences, certifications, and/or subject exams.

Saint Leo offers a handful of online degrees through its School of Business, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Education and Social Services, including a BA in Liberal Studies. Through this broad, multidisciplinary curriculum, students explore human behavior, ideas, and values through the study of social and natural sciences, humanities and fine arts, quantitative reasoning, and business. The curriculum for this liberal arts degree is uniquely made up of five sections in addition to the liberal arts core and foundation courses. Those sections include the human adventure, the human mosaic, science in a changing world, the creative life, and the reflective and spiritual life.

Saint Leo University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Located in the state’s capital, the University of Maine in Augusta has been educating returning and adult learners for many years through their liberal arts curriculums. They offer a number of online programs that closely mirror their “traditional,” on-campus degrees, including the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, which is anchored in and expands the greater campus’ liberal arts emphasis.

As a liberal arts student at Augusta you will primarily develop four areas of professional and academic formation: interpersonal, communication, problem solving, and organizational skills. Through classes that help you understand cultural differences, collaborative partnerships, human assessment, and recognizing social processes you will hone interpersonal skills. Likewise, you’ll work on your communication techniques by presenting ideas, reading critically, and writing reports. You’ll develop problem solving abilities by learning the best research methodologies and you’re organizational abilities by taking courses on management, development, and planning. Overall, this degree will fully prepare you for whatever career direction in which you head.

The University of Maine in Augusta is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Northeastern University’s boasts a retention rate of 96 percent—which is way above the national average—because of its academic standards and student-centric emphasis. With a liberal arts curriculum that integrates experiential learning, study abroad programs, and co-ops, Northeastern students (including those studying from a distance) are rewarded with a diverse learning experience unlike any other. First given a liberal arts foundation, students then specialize in one of the many online majors, including the Bachelors of Science in Liberal Arts.

For those who are most interested in cultivating intellectual as well as professional dexterity, this liberal arts degree will give you the opportunity to design a degree that meets all your personal, academic, and vocational goals. Though fully online, this is a comprehensive degree program. So you can can start at Northeastern with no credits in your pocket, ready to dive into writing, business, math, and philosophy courses. After you finish your general education requirements you will then take at least 33 credits in your area of interest plus fifteen credits to cover a minor. Whether you see yourself leading a tech start up or getting a PhD in continental philosophy, this degree from Northeastern can help you get there.

Northeastern University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report, ARWU, Forbes, The Princeton Review, Washington Monthly, and more.

Eastern Oregon University (EOU) proffers dozens of online undergraduate degrees at an affordable rate (in fact, EOU has one of the lowest credit hour costs on our list!). Known for giving students a broad liberal arts base regardless of major or projected degree, Eastern Oregon also offers a specific program for those who want to earn an online bachelors in liberal arts: the Integrative Studies major.

As an online integrative studies student you will explore multidisciplinary connections while developing intercultural knowledge. You’ll take part in purposeful civic engagement, examine ethical responsibilities of individuals and communities, engage in critical self-reflections, and apply all these connections to your current and future learning. You will work closely with an advisor to either combine two academic minors, one EOU minor plus an approved minor from another accredited university, or to design a unique, coherent plan of study with an instructor. Regardless of how your degree comes together, as an integrative studies major you will be required to complete a capstone portfolio that is meant to demonstrate your educational, personal, and vocational accomplishments.

Located in La Grande and accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Eastern Oregon University is small school with under 5k undergraduates.

DePaul University, in addition to its renowned name and reputation, offers a lot in the way of formation and development to its undergraduate “traditional” and online students. Foremost, students can customize and tailor their education explicitly to their career goals through DePaul’s Individualized Focus Area program, offered through the School for New Learning. This is only for adult students who want to complete an undergraduate degree through a flexible, personalized, and competence-based program. In addition to transferring previous college credits, you can also earn credit from previous life and work experience, drawing that graduation date even closer!

While you will work closely with a faculty member to design and complete your own curriculum, program tracks and concentrations are provided to give some structure. Included among those specializations are business communication, business development, criminal justice, education and counseling, entrepreneurship, environmental studies, healthcare and social change, human development, non-profit organization management, and visual arts and designs.

DePaul University is a private university affiliated with the Catholic Church and located in Chicago. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

St. John’s University in Queens offers comprehensive bachelors degrees that can be fully earned online. Without needing past credits to start working toward your degree, at St. John’s you can jump right into their general education core curriculum to gain a liberal arts foundation to your academic career. You’ll take 18 humanities credits, 18 social sciences credits, 12 science and math credits, plus a 3-credit seminar in liberal studies. Once these are completed you only need to acquire another 52 credits in your major. Again, all of which can be earned online and at your own pace.

For those who want to continue on the liberal arts track, St. John’s offers both associate and bachelor degrees in liberal studies. These programs provide an interdisciplinary approach to the hard sciences, social sciences, and humanities, revealing the relationships among these subjects and forming in their students a broad understanding of Western thought and global perspectives. St. John’s is unique in its take on the liberal arts curriculum in that it allows students to pair the degree with a definitively career-focused minor, such as business, computer science, criminal justice, health services, journalism, or paralegal studies. Though on the pricier end of the tuition spectrum, St. John’s is a great option for earning an online liberal arts education, one that has, on average, graduates making at least 48k annually in the early years of their careers.

St. John’s University is a Roman Catholic research institution with campuses throughout New York City. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

A small, Christian university, Azusa Pacific University (APU) caters to those seeking a broad, liberal arts education. APU has sizeable departments across the humanities and social sciences through which many degrees and majors are offered on campus as well as online at an affordable rate and through a flexible format. Like many of the other schools on our list, APU demonstrates its commitment to the liberal arts through a full undergraduate program: the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies.

This program has been uniquely curated for those who want a sturdy, liberal arts base but who are also interested in teaching and education. For prospective elementary school and special education teachers, this online completion program helps you foster your own philosophy of education while understanding ethical and worldview theories. And because Azusa Pacific is a Christian school, you will be expected to integrate your Christian faith into your understanding of the strengths, learning styles, and developments of K–6 students and their needs. Graduates from this unique program have gone into clinical psychology, marriage and family therapy, counseling, social work, and private and public school teaching.

An evangelical university based outside of Los Angeles, Azusa Pacific University is a member of the CCCU (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities) and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Granite State College (GSC) is a small liberal arts college with a broad online learning program. They provide accessible and affordable education to adult learners, to both those who are in school for the first time and to those who are returning to complete their degree. Granite State has earned national ranking in many categories: for its affordability, academic standing, and strong online programs.

Among their many distance education bachelor degrees, Granite State College offers a fully online Bachelor of Arts in Individualized Studies degree. Students in this program experience a curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, writing, reflection, and research across the humanities, including in arts, literature, history, philosophy, and ethics. This program is ideal for those who have transferable college course credit and are seeking an opportunity to create a cohesive, comprehensive degree from what they have. In fact, 84 percent of GSC students are transfer students, so the GSC specializes in making the most of transfer credits. This program is also for those students are self-directed and eager to become proficient in the knowledge, methods, and theories that make up their specific area of study.

Granite State is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. It is part of the University System of New Hampshire and its main campus is located in Concord, New Hampshire.

Do you want to work closely, in a mentoring relationship, with an advisor to create an undergraduate experience that is uniquely yours? Columbia College (in Missouri) can give you that opportunity. With one of the smallest undergraduate enrollments (around 2k students) on our list, you are guaranteed an individualized experience at Columbia. You not only work closely with your advisor, but also with faculty members, library and tech staff, career counselors, and more. And all from a distance, as Columbia College offers many of their liberal arts degrees online.

In addition to the general education core—which explores all cornerstones of a liberal arts education, from biology to communication, anthropology, history, and music—Columbia College offers a comprehensive Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree. This online program allows students to collate different minors to create their own academic experience. On top of the core course load, BGS students are then required to take an ethics course and multiculturalism course before diving into their chosen area of study. Whether you’re interested in business, marketing, human services, math and computer science, history, philosophy, political science, nursing, or sociology, this degree in general studies is a great option.

A private, nonprofit liberal arts college, Princeton Review recently named Columbia College a “Best Midwestern University.” It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.