Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Marina, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Marina, California has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $1,404 to $26,987 per year for indexed programs. Marina has a population of about 22,324. Median household income is $88,518 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Technical Writer at a median $104,000 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Marina

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Marina, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Marina 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 Marina. 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

California State University-Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA 2.0 miles from Marina
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,247
Avg net price $13,663/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,779
Out‑of‑state$20,379
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey, CA 7.5 miles from Marina
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

Monterey, CA 8.2 miles from Marina
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
92.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,310
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of California-Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA 26.3 miles from Marina
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
71.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 66%
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,396
Avg net price $17,890/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,005
Out‑of‑state$50,205
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 45.6 miles from Marina
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 46.8 miles from Marina
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $109,183
Avg net price $50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 50.6 miles from Marina
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Silicon Andhra

Milpitas, CA 53.7 miles from Marina
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California liberal arts page.

Liberal Arts Wages Near Marina

Marina is part of the Salinas, CA metro area (BLS area code 41500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist $78,960 Salinas, CA $72,440
Management Analyst $102,640 Salinas, CA $94,165
Technical Writer $104,000 CA statewide $95,413
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist N/A CA statewide –
Editor $63,680 Salinas, CA $58,422
Training and Development Specialist $66,030 Salinas, CA $60,578
Human Resources Specialist $80,100 Salinas, CA $73,486

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.

Marina at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 22,324 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $88,518 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 36.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 109.0 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Monterey County 1,147 workers, 80 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Marina-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Marina, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Marina. The closest is California State University-Monterey Bay in Seaside, CA (2.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (8.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Marina?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Marina are: Technical Writer ($104,000), Management Analyst ($102,640), Human Resources Specialist ($80,100). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Seaside instead of Marina?

Seaside, CA is 4.4 miles from Marina and has its own set of local liberal arts programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Marina an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Marina’s median household income of $88,518 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Marina while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Liberal Arts Programs

Other Programs Available in Marina

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

Data verified: September 6, 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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