Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in Connecticut
8
Meet the Ranking Threshold
6
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$37,842
With a Fully Online Option
1
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Connecticut
General studies bachelor's degrees in Connecticut come three public and three private among the ranked six, and the public three are not priced alike. Central Connecticut State University in New Britain charges $12,460 in resident tuition and fees, Eastern Connecticut State in Willimantic $13,292 and the University of Connecticut $20,366, while the private three run from $35,760 at the University of Bridgeport to $48,460 at Sacred Heart University. Two more programs, at Fairfield University and Albertus Magnus College, sit in the table of other programs.
UConn's Bachelor of General Studies has the highest score in the state at this level, 70.7, 22nd nationally on our list, and an 83% graduation rate, the highest here, on 119 degrees a year. Sacred Heart is second at 55.1 with a 73% graduation rate and the one online option on the list. Eastern Connecticut State scores 54.5 on a 58% graduation rate and 39 degrees, and Central Connecticut State, the cheapest program, scores 45.1 on a 48% rate and 60 degrees. The University of Hartford graduates 54% at $47,647, and Bridgeport graduates 41%, the lowest rate on the list, at $35,760.
So the spread runs from $12,460 to $48,460 in tuition and fees and from 41% to 83% in graduation rate, and the two don't move together: the most expensive program, Sacred Heart, has the second-highest graduation rate, and the second-most expensive, Hartford, is fourth of six. Fairfield University's program in the other table graduates 84% at $56,360 on 5 degrees a year.
The 6 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Connecticut
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in Connecticut are ranked below by their national score, from the national bachelor's degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Connecticut. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
University of Connecticut
Bachelor of General Studies
Connecticut
70.7- Public
- College graduation rate
- 83%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $20,366 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 119
About the Program
Returning adults are who the Bachelor of General Studies is designed for. You select courses from multiple disciplines and academic departments and work with your academic advisor to establish a coherent plan of study, so the courses have to add up to something you and the advisor can both explain.
Breadth is enforced by a cap. You need 30 credits at the 2000-level and above, but no more than 21 of them can come from any one academic department on your final plan of study, which stops the degree from becoming a single-department major under another name. Writing is handled the same open way, because the writing requirement can be met by any 2000-level or above W course.
Admission starts at 60 college credits or an associate's degree from a regionally accredited college, so this isn't a degree you begin from nothing. Transfer students meet the criteria with a minimum GPA of 2.7, or a 3.0 in their last 12 credits, which gives you a second way in if your early grades were weak but your recent ones aren't. You'll also have an interview with an academic counselor.
Eight years is the time you're expected to finish in, counted from admission, unless the Program Director grants an extension. So you can move through the minimum of 120 credits slowly, but the clock is running from the day you're admitted. The catalog lists the degree at the Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, Storrs and Waterbury campuses.
2
Sacred Heart University
BA/BS in General Studies
Connecticut
55.1- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 73%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $48,460 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 30
About the Program
Beyond the 45-credit University Core Curriculum, the degree rests on a 36-credit emphasis in one area, while candidates must complete at least 120 credits in all. Business Studies is one of the emphasis areas, which takes in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Management and Sport Management. The design was developed for adult and transfer students.
Part-time students can earn the degree fully online, and the plan of study is built so they can complete their major in two years through eight-week AHEAD terms. If you'd rather be in a classroom, daytime, evening and Saturday classes run on campus, and the degree can be taken part-time or full-time. The two-year plan is for the major, so count your other credits separately.
Grades inside the emphasis are held to a line. A grade of C or better is required for each class in the 36-credit emphasis, so a lower grade means the class won't count toward it. Twelve of those credits must be at the 200 level or higher. At least half of the major must be completed at SHU, which limits how much of the emphasis you can bring in from earlier study.
Transfer credit is capped by where you earned it, with a maximum of 66 credits accepted from a junior college and a maximum of 90 from a four-year institution. Arriving with 60 credits or more from another institution changes your core, because the foundational core is waived at that point. A seminar course is the exception, which every student takes.
3
Eastern Connecticut State University
Connecticut
54.5- Public
- College graduation rate
- 58%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $13,292 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 39
About the Program
Eastern Connecticut State University is a public university in Willimantic, Connecticut that enrolls 4,355 students. Some 39 bachelor's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 51% of the programs ranked alongside it. Its college-wide graduation rate is 58%, the 73rd percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Expect tuition and fees of $13,292 a year as a resident and $16,624 otherwise. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 83% of applicants accepted. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 73rd percentile.
4
Central Connecticut State University
Connecticut
45.1- Public
- College graduation rate
- 48%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $12,460 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 60
About the Program
Some 9,997 students attend Central Connecticut State University, a public university in New Britain, Connecticut. It conferred 60 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 64% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Across the whole college, 48% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 44% of the institutions behind this list. Residents pay $12,460 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $25,736. Getting in is not automatic, because 73% of applicants are admitted. Strongest of its measures is the number of degrees it awards, which lands at the 64th percentile.
5
University of Hartford
Connecticut
36.8- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 54%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $47,647 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 23
About the Program
Based in West Hartford, Connecticut, University of Hartford is a private nonprofit university with 6,015 students on its rolls. Some 23 bachelor's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 33% of the programs ranked alongside it. Across the whole college, 54% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 62% of the institutions behind this list. Tuition and fees are $47,647 a year for every student, residents and nonresidents alike. Getting in is rarely the obstacle, with 96% of applicants admitted. What lifts it most is the graduation rate of its college, where it reaches the 62nd percentile.
6
University of Bridgeport
Connecticut
24.1- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 41%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $35,760 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 28
About the Program
Bridgeport, Connecticut is home to University of Bridgeport, a private nonprofit university of 3,838 students. It conferred 28 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 40% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. A 41% graduation rate puts the college at the 26th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees are $35,760 a year for every student, residents and nonresidents alike. Applicants are admitted at a rate of 83%, which leaves room for a rejection. On the number of degrees it awards it does best, reaching the 40th percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Connecticut
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in Connecticut awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield University, Fairfield | 5 | 84% | $56,360 |
| Albertus Magnus College, New Haven | 3 | 51% | $39,924 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Cost in Connecticut?
A general studies bachelor's degree in Connecticut costs $37,842 a year in tuition and required fees at the median of the eight programs, a figure that falls in the empty space between the three public universities and the five private ones. Central Connecticut State is $12,460, Eastern Connecticut State $13,292 and UConn $20,366. Then nothing until the University of Bridgeport at $35,760, followed by Albertus Magnus College at $39,924, the University of Hartford at $47,647, Sacred Heart at $48,460 and Fairfield University at $56,360.
The state's tuition help reaches this level through the side door. Connecticut funds a tuition-free community college award, the Mary Ann Handley Award, for students who began college in fall 2020 or later and take at least 6 credits a term, so a student who does the first 60 credits at CT State free and the last 60 at Central or Eastern pays public university tuition for two years instead of four. That is the route the Transfer Ticket is written for. At the private universities, ask what institutional grant comes off the sticker price, since Sacred Heart's $48,460 and Hartford's $47,647 are list prices.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Connecticut?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Connecticut on terms that depend on which university you're entering: a Transfer Ticket for Eastern and Central, a Guaranteed Admission Program for UConn, and the CT Guarantee for private colleges that take part. All three grow out of the 2011 reorganization that put the community colleges, the four state universities and Charter Oak State College under one Board of Regents. A CT State graduate holding a Transfer Ticket has only 60 credits remaining at a Connecticut State University or Charter Oak. Charter Oak, in the same system, offers a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies with 40 concentrations, so it's a Transfer Ticket destination too.
UConn sits outside the Board of Regents system, so it has its own promise: students accepted into the Guaranteed Admission Program are guaranteed admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources or the School of Business once the associate degree is earned. Ask UConn which college houses the Bachelor of General Studies and whether the program's own requirements add anything. For Sacred Heart, Hartford, Bridgeport, Albertus Magnus or Fairfield, the lever is the CT Guarantee, which moves a community college associate degree to a participating private college with admission guaranteed. Check that each college participates before you count the credits.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Connecticut?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in Connecticut pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Program in Connecticut
Choosing a general studies bachelor's degree program in Connecticut is mostly a decision about whether UConn's 83% graduation rate is worth $20,366 against $12,460 at Central or $13,292 at Eastern. Eastern's 58% is the better of the two state university rates, and Central awards more degrees, 60 to 39. If you want a private university, Sacred Heart's 73% is the only private graduation rate near UConn's, and it's the only online route here, at $48,460. Bridgeport costs $35,760 and graduates 41%, below every public program.
Bring your transfer credit in with a plan, because a CT State Transfer Ticket guarantees that only 60 credits remain toward a bachelor's at a Connecticut State University or Charter Oak, and that promise is written for the Connecticut State Universities and Charter Oak, which on this page means Eastern and Central. Ask UConn how a CT State associate maps into the Bachelor of General Studies, ask Sacred Heart and Hartford how many credits from other colleges they'll count toward the general studies degree, and ask every program what the degree is called on the diploma, since UConn's is a Bachelor of General Studies and Sacred Heart's is a BA/BS in General Studies.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Connecticut have their own page.