Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in District of Columbia
2
Meet the Ranking Threshold
1
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$40,972
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in District of Columbia
General studies bachelor's degrees in the District of Columbia are two programs, one ranked and one not, both at private universities in Washington. Trinity Washington University is the ranked program, scoring 27.6 and 148th in the national bachelor's ranking on 11 degrees a year, a 49% graduation rate and $26,110 in tuition and required fees for 2023-24. The Catholic University of America awarded 3 general studies bachelor's degrees in the latest year, below the 10 the national ranking requires, with a 79% graduation rate and $55,834 in tuition and fees.
Trinity's score is modest because its graduation rate and its degree count are both modest, and its tuition is the lowest at this level in the district by a wide margin. Catholic University's completion rate is far higher, but a program awarding 3 degrees a year is a handful of students choosing a general studies major inside a university built around other majors. Neither program is online, and both universities are among the three partner institutions named in the district's DC Futures scholarship, which is why that program comes up below.
The Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree in District of Columbia
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Trinity Washington University
District of Columbia
27.6- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 49%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $26,110 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 11
About the Program
Trinity Washington University is a private nonprofit university in Washington, District of Columbia that enrolls 1,948 students. Some 11 bachelor's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 3% of the programs ranked alongside it. Across the whole college, 49% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 48% of the institutions behind this list. Every student pays $26,110 a year in tuition and fees, since the institution sets one rate. Applicants face little risk of rejection, because 100% are admitted. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 48th percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in District of Columbia
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in District of Columbia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Catholic University of America, Washington | 3 | 79% | $55,834 |
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 District of Columbia?
A general studies bachelor's degree in the District of Columbia costs $40,972 a year in tuition and required fees at the median of the two programs for 2023-24, the midpoint between Trinity Washington University at $26,110 and the Catholic University of America at $55,834. Both are private, so the figure doesn't move for district residents.
The district aid designed for finishing a bachelor's is DC Futures, which OSSE created to help District of Columbia college students complete their first associate or bachelor's degree by providing a last-dollar scholarship at three local universities. The handbook puts the award at up to $8,000 a year for students who enroll in specific program areas or majors, names Catholic University of America, Trinity Washington University and the University of the District of Columbia as the partners, and allows part-time study at at least six credits in the fall semester and at least six credits in the spring semester. But OSSE says that due to funding constraints it is unable to fund new applicants for the 2026-27 application cycle, so for a new applicant DCTAG is the grant to ask about instead.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in District of Columbia?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in the District of Columbia at the discretion of Trinity Washington University or the Catholic University of America, since both are private and neither is bound by another institution's policy. The benchmark to hold them to is the district's public university. UDC will apply 90 transfer credits toward a bachelor's degree and requires students to earn the remaining credits to reach the 120-credit minimum for the degree in residence, and it accepts only courses passed with a C or better grade, 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. If a private general studies program offers you less than that, you're giving up ground a public university would hold.
A general studies bachelor's is often the degree people finish with credits from several places, so the useful questions are about what you bring. If your associate is from UDC Community College, that college describes its Associate of Liberal Arts as equivalent to the first two years of a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science, and that's the claim to test against Trinity's or Catholic University's evaluation. If you earned Trinity's own general studies associate, the bachelor's is the natural continuation, and the question becomes how many upper-level credits remain and whether any of them can be taken part-time.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in District of Columbia?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia
Choosing a general studies bachelor's degree program in the District of Columbia means weighing Trinity Washington University's $26,110 and 49% graduation rate against the Catholic University of America's $55,834 and 79%, and then asking how much of each program actually exists: Trinity awarded 11 degrees in the latest year and Catholic University 3. A program of 3 graduates can disappear or change shape quickly, so ask Catholic University whether general studies is a standing major or a completion route it offers case by case.
Ask both universities for a written transfer credit evaluation that separates credits applied to the major from credits counted as electives. Ask the financial aid office how DCTAG applies, since it requires at least half-time enrollment toward a first undergraduate degree, and whether DC Futures has reopened to new applicants since OSSE closed the 2026-27 cycle. And if you can't be on campus in Washington, neither program fits, because neither is offered online.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in District of Columbia have their own page.