Best General Studies Schools Near Albany, NY (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Albany, New York has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs, with tuition ranging from $10,866 to $31,256 per year for indexed programs. Albany has a population of about 100,081. Median household income is $59,485 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY metro area, the top-earning general studies-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $111,130 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest General Studies Schools to Albany

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer general studies programs near Albany, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Albany city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Albany. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Maria College of Albany

Albany, NY 0.7 miles from Albany
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
61.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 44%
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,458
Avg net price $13,082/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,740
Out‑of‑state$18,740
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University at Albany

Albany, NY 1.9 miles from Albany
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 69%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,979
Avg net price $17,167/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,866
Out‑of‑state$31,256
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Excelsior University

Albany, NY 4.2 miles from Albany
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
58.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,493
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all New York schools on the New York general studies page.

General Studies Wages Near Albany

Albany is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY metro area (BLS area code 10580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New York statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Managers $111,130 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $111,576
Management Analysts $83,690 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $84,026
Human Resources Specialists $77,000 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $77,309
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $76,140 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $76,446
Writers and Authors $78,050 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $78,363
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $80,620 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $80,944
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $73,360 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $73,655
Social and Community Service Managers $88,410 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $88,765

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Albany at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 100,081 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $59,485 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 44.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 99.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Albany-Area Cities With General Studies Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited general studies schools are near Albany, NY?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs near Albany. The closest is Maria College of Albany in Albany, NY (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Hudson Valley Community College (6.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying general studies roles near Albany?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying general studies-related roles near Albany are: General and Operations Managers ($111,130), Social and Community Service Managers ($88,410), Management Analysts ($83,690). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New York statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Troy instead of Albany?

Troy, NY is 7.9 miles from Albany and has its own set of local general studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Albany an affordable place to study general studies?

Albany’s median household income of $59,485 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Albany while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New York public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About General Studies Programs

Other Programs Available in Albany

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Albany:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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