Best Schools for Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2026

424 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Liberal Arts and Sciences, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Liberal Arts and Sciences graduate earns $37,173/yr across 424 schools.

Programs Ranked
424
Avg Earnings
$37,173/yr
Avg DW Score
33/100
AI Risk
Low
16% task exposure

All Liberal Arts and Sciences Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN · Public
55
56–55
$49,083/yr 16.9x
2 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI · Public
54
55–54
$50,438/yr 17.5x
3 Georgetown University
Washington, DC · Private nonprofit
53
54–53
$66,719/yr 3.6x
4 Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ · Public
53
54–53
$49,779/yr 19.7x
5 University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL · Public
52
54–52
$48,391/yr 20.6x
6 DePaul University
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit
52
53–52
$84,066/yr 3.8x
7 Bentley University
Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit
52
53–52
$72,333/yr 3.4x
8 Charter Oak State College
New Britain, CT · Public
51
53–51
$44,615/yr 16.8x
9 American Public University System
Charles Town, WV · Private for-profit
51
52–51
$62,059/yr 17.5x
10 Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ · Public
50
51–50
$49,147/yr 12.0x
11 University of South Florida
Tampa, FL · Public
50
52–50
$45,230/yr 19.6x
12 The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public
50
52–50
$45,243/yr 13.0x
13 Weber State University
Ogden, UT · Public
49
53–49
$39,864/yr 22.0x
14 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Green Bay, WI · Public
49
50–48
$54,436/yr 13.8x
15 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI · Public
49
51–49
$42,673/yr 14.6x
16 Fort Hays State University
Hays, KS · Public
48
51–48
$42,795/yr 21.8x
17 Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH · Private nonprofit
48
49–48
$55,339/yr 8.4x
18 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Norman, OK · Public
48
49–48
$45,726/yr 13.5x
19 Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA · Public
47
51–47
$39,758/yr 17.0x
20 Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, MI · Public
47
50–47
$40,740/yr 12.7x
21 University of Nevada-Reno
Reno, NV · Public
47
50–47
$43,520/yr 14.6x
22 CUNY City College
New York, NY · Public
47
50–47
$43,059/yr 16.9x
23 Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX · Public
47
50–47
$41,803/yr 15.4x
24 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit
46
46–45
$103,135/yr 3.3x
25 William Jewell College
Liberty, MO · Private nonprofit
46
47–46
$50,663/yr 7.1x
26 Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
Portales, NM · Public
46
49–46
$43,186/yr 17.2x
27 University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND · Public
46
48–46
$42,948/yr 12.3x
28 California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · Public
45
51–46
$36,509/yr 19.9x
29 National University
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit
45
46–44
$57,429/yr 9.8x
30 Clayton State University
Morrow, GA · Public
45
49–45
$37,898/yr 24.0x
31 University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA · Public
45
48–45
$40,791/yr 12.6x
32 University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, NE · Public
45
48–45
$40,892/yr 15.0x
33 Kent State University at Ashtabula
Ashtabula, OH · Public
45
48–45
$41,205/yr 16.4x
34 Kent State University at East Liverpool
East Liverpool, OH · Public
45
48–45
$41,205/yr 16.4x
35 Kent State University at Stark
North Canton, OH · Public
45
48–45
$41,205/yr 16.4x
36 Kent State University at Trumbull
Warren, OH · Public
45
48–45
$41,205/yr 16.4x
37 Kent State University at Tuscarawas
New Philadelphia, OH · Public
45
48–45
$41,205/yr 16.4x
38 Kent State University at Salem
Salem, OH · Public
45
48–45
$41,205/yr 16.4x
39 Kent State University at Geauga
Burton, OH · Public
45
48–45
$41,205/yr 16.4x
40 Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN · Public
45
47–45
$45,074/yr 12.6x
41 Tennessee State University
Nashville, TN · Public
45
50–46
$37,716/yr 16.5x
42 Lewis-Clark State College
Lewiston, ID · Public
44
48–44
$39,404/yr 16.6x
43 University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS · Public
44
47–44
$42,527/yr 11.2x
44 Cameron University
Lawton, OK · Public
44
46–44
$43,865/yr 14.9x
45 Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX · Public
44
47–44
$41,112/yr 13.5x
46 James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public
44
45–43
$49,408/yr 8.9x
47 Texas A&M University-Central Texas
Killeen, TX · Public
44
49–45
$38,253/yr 18.8x
48 Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global
Marion, IN · Private nonprofit
44
46–44
$43,763/yr 13.7x
49 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN · Public
43
44–42
$56,778/yr 7.6x
50 Molloy College
Rockville Centre, NY · Private nonprofit
43
44–43
$74,868/yr 3.9x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Liberal Arts and Sciences?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, Metropolitan State University ranks #1 for Liberal Arts and Sciences with a score of 55/100 and graduate earnings of $49,083/yr.
How much do Liberal Arts and Sciences graduates earn?
Across 424 schools, Liberal Arts and Sciences graduates earn an average of $37,173/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $103,135/yr.
Is Liberal Arts and Sciences a good major for AI resistance?
Liberal Arts and Sciences has an average AI task exposure of 16%, rated "Low". This is a relatively AI-resistant field.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.