Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Oakland, CA (2026)

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

Oakland, California has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $12,374 to $32,536 per year for indexed programs. Oakland has a population of about 438,072. Median household income is $97,369 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 47.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Technical Writer at a median $135,470 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Oakland

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

Northeastern University Oakland

Oakland, CA 2.0 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
42.7 BOC Score
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
Avg net price $25,181/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 0%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Laney College

Oakland, CA 2.6 miles from Oakland
  • 2 year
17.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,282
Avg net price $17,110/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 61

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Merritt College

Oakland, CA 2.7 miles from Oakland
  • 2 year
36.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,392
Avg net price $14,021/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Reach University

Oakland, CA 3.5 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 100%
Avg net price $22,423/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,374
Out‑of‑state$12,374
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 5

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

Oakland is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). 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 $102,520 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $88,685
Management Analyst $126,730 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $109,628
Technical Writer $135,470 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $117,189
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist N/A CA statewide –
Editor $102,940 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $89,048
Training and Development Specialist $95,050 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $82,223
Human Resources Specialist $103,140 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $89,221

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.

Oakland at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 438,072 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $97,369 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 47.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Alameda County 4,239 workers, 399 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Oakland-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Oakland. The closest is Northeastern University Oakland in Oakland, CA (2.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Reach University (3.5 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Oakland are: Technical Writer ($135,470), Management Analyst ($126,730), Human Resources Specialist ($103,140). 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 Alameda instead of Oakland?

Alameda, CA is 3.2 miles from Oakland 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 Oakland an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Oakland’s median household income of $97,369 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Oakland 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 Oakland

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

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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