Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in Kansas
5
Meet the Ranking Threshold
3
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$32,748
With a Fully Online Option
2
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Kansas
General studies bachelor's degrees in Kansas are two public universities that take the top two ranked places and three private colleges that trail them on both price and completion. Emporia State University scores 68, 25th in the national bachelor's ranking, by graduating 56% of its students at $7,356 a year in resident tuition and required fees, on 28 degrees a year, campus-based. Wichita State University's Bachelor of General Studies scores 60.4 and ranks 51st: the biggest program at this level with 81 degrees, a 51% graduation rate, $9,322 for residents and the one ranked online option. Emporia State's edge is price and completion, Wichita State's is size and format.
Friends University in Wichita is the third ranked program, a private nonprofit at $32,748 with a 43% graduation rate and 17 degrees a year, which gives it a score of 22.1 and 154th place. Two more private colleges award the degree below the ranking threshold: Southwestern College in Winfield, online, at $38,480 with a 36% graduation rate and 3 degrees, and Tabor College in Hillsboro at $35,050, 34% and a single degree.
So the level splits cleanly. The two public programs cost $7,356 and $9,322 and graduate 51% to 56%. The three private programs cost $32,748 to $38,480 and graduate 34% to 43%. Out-of-state students pay $15,669 at Emporia State and $19,240 at Wichita State, still under every private sticker price. Wichita holds two of the five, Wichita State and Friends, at prices $23,426 apart.
The 3 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Kansas
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in Kansas 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 Kansas. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Emporia State University
Kansas
68.0- Public
- College graduation rate
- 56%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $7,356 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 28
About the Program
Based in Emporia, Kansas, Emporia State University is a public university with 4,557 students on its rolls. During the most recent year on record it awarded 28 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 40th percentile for size. Its college-wide graduation rate is 56%, the 69th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents pay $7,356 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $15,669. Admission is close to open, with 98% of applicants accepted. What lifts it most is price, where it reaches the 90th percentile.
2
Wichita State University
Details: Aging Studies, Field Major or Bachelor of General Studies, CHP
Kansas
60.4- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 51%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,322 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 81
About the Program
Based in Wichita, Kansas, Wichita State University is a public university with 16,689 students on its rolls. During the most recent year on record it awarded 81 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 73rd percentile for size. Its college-wide graduation rate is 51%, the 53rd percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Expect tuition and fees of $9,322 a year as a resident and $19,240 otherwise. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. About 94% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. Strongest of its measures is the number of degrees it awards, which lands at the 73rd percentile.
3
Friends University
Kansas
22.1- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 43%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $32,748 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 17
About the Program
Some 1,961 students attend Friends University, a private nonprofit university in Wichita, Kansas. During the most recent year on record it awarded 17 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 18th percentile for size. Its college-wide graduation rate is 43%, the 31st percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Every student pays $32,748 a year in tuition and fees, since the institution sets one rate. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 55% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 31st percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Kansas
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in Kansas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern College, Winfield | 3 | 36% | $38,480 |
| Tabor College, Hillsboro | 1 | 34% | $35,050 |
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 Kansas?
A general studies bachelor's degree in Kansas costs a median of $32,748 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24 across the five programs, but that median is Friends University's price and the two public universities sit far beneath it. Emporia State charges residents $7,356 and non-residents $15,669. Wichita State charges $9,322 and $19,240. Then come Friends at $32,748, Tabor College at $35,050 and Southwestern College at $38,480, with no resident discount at any of the three. A Kansas resident at Emporia State pays less than a quarter of the Friends price for a program that graduates a larger share of its students.
The Kansas Adult Learner Grant is the state aid aimed at this level. The Board of Regents says it helps Kansas residents aged 25 and older who are seeking a bachelor's degree in specific fields of study, and you can enroll full time or part time, but no fewer than 6 credit hours. The field list is the limit. Ask Emporia State, Wichita State or Friends whether general studies is on it before you count the grant into your budget, and if you're working, confirm that a 6-credit semester keeps you eligible.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Kansas?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Kansas through Systemwide Transfer at the two public universities and under house rules at Friends, Southwestern and Tabor. The Board of Regents says SWT courses transfer to any Kansas public institution offering an equivalent course, so every SWT course from a Kansas community college counts at Emporia State or Wichita State. Above that sits the systemwide general education program, 34 to 35 credit hours in seven buckets, which the six state universities, the community colleges and Washburn University implement in place on every campus by fall 2024.
What arrives whole depends on your associate degree. The Board of Regents excludes the Associate in General Studies and the Associate in Applied Science from the systemwide general education program, so an AGS lands at Emporia State or Wichita State as a set of courses rather than a finished general education block, and the university fills the seven buckets from the SWT courses on the transcript.
Wichita State awarded 81 of these degrees in the latest year and runs the program online, so it's where most transfer students will look. Ask it and Emporia State how many hours beyond the general education block they take from an associate degree, and ask Friends, Southwestern and Tabor the same, plus whether they recognize the SWT list, since none is public.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Kansas?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in Kansas 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 Kansas
To choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in Kansas, decide between Emporia State and Wichita State first, because the public pair costs $7,356 and $9,322 for residents while the three private colleges start at $32,748. Emporia State graduates 56% on campus in Emporia with 28 degrees a year. Wichita State graduates 51%, awards 81 degrees and teaches its Bachelor of General Studies online, so if you can't relocate or you're working full time, the $1,966 difference buys you the format.
The private programs are small and expensive by comparison: Friends University's 17 degrees at $32,748 with 43% finishing, Southwestern College's 3 degrees online at $38,480 with 36%, and Tabor College's single degree at $35,050 with 34%. If one of them fits for other reasons, ask for its graduation rate among transfer students, not just the first-time figure. Ask every program how it reads an Associate in General Studies, since the state's general education block doesn't attach to that degree, and if you're 25 or older, ask whether general studies is on the Adult Learner Grant's field list. The national bachelor's ranking shows where 68 and 60.4 sit against other states' public programs.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Kansas have their own page.