Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Poway, CA (2026)

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

Poway, California has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $1,146 to $17,126 per year for indexed programs. Poway has a population of about 48,515. Median household income is $143,825 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Technical Writer at a median $101,750 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Poway

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

John Paul the Great Catholic University

Escondido, CA 9.9 miles from Poway
  • 4 year
45.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,930
Avg net price $34,666/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

San Diego Christian College

Santee, CA 10.2 miles from Poway
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,766
Avg net price $992/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 17%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

National University

San Diego, CA 12.6 miles from Poway
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,548
Avg net price $22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA 12.8 miles from Poway
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,908
Avg net price $10,229/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Ashford University

San Diego, CA 13.1 miles from Poway
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
15.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 10%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,404
Avg net price $31,266/yr
Tuition
In‑state$11,960
Out‑of‑state$11,960
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 64

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

#6

University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA 14.6 miles from Poway
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
92.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 27%
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $84,943
Avg net price $12,470/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,758
Out‑of‑state$50,958
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 133

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

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#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 14.9 miles from Poway
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
83.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 36%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,909
Avg net price $15,364/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 133

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

#8

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego, CA 15.3 miles from Poway
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
57.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,120
Avg net price $5,814/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,146
Out‑of‑state$10,002
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege 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 Poway

Poway is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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 $81,240 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $72,601
Management Analyst $101,190 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $90,429
Technical Writer $101,750 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $90,929
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $63,810 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $57,024
Editor $78,870 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $70,483
Training and Development Specialist $75,670 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $67,623
Human Resources Specialist $81,300 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $72,654

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.

Poway at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 48,515 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $143,825 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 53.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 111.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in San Diego County 10,699 workers, 845 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Poway-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Poway. The closest is San Diego Miramar College in San Diego, CA (7.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is National University (12.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Poway are: Technical Writer ($101,750), Management Analyst ($101,190), Human Resources Specialist ($81,300). 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 Santee instead of Poway?

Santee, CA is 9.3 miles from Poway 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 Poway an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Poway’s median household income of $143,825 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Poway 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 Poway

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

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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