Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Ontario, CA (2026)

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

Ontario, California has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $65,420 to $85,300 per year for indexed programs. Ontario has a population of about 178,347. Median household income is $82,806 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $87,910 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Ontario

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

University of Phoenix-California

Ontario, CA 2.2 miles from Ontario
  • 4 year
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Liberal Arts Wages Near Ontario

Ontario is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (BLS area code 40140). 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 $77,010 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $72,378
Management Analyst $87,910 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $82,622
Technical Writer $85,500 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $80,357
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $66,780 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $62,763
Editor $70,560 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $66,316
Training and Development Specialist $60,010 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $56,400
Human Resources Specialist $76,570 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $71,964

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.

Ontario at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 178,347 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $82,806 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 20.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 106.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in San Bernardino County 1,774 workers, 224 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Ontario-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Ontario. The closest is University of Phoenix-California in Ontario, CA (2.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pomona College (7.4 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Ontario are: Management Analyst ($87,910), Technical Writer ($85,500), Public Relations Specialist ($77,010). 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 Chino instead of Ontario?

Chino, CA is 5.1 miles from Ontario 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 Ontario an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Ontario’s median household income of $82,806 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Ontario 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 Ontario

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

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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