Best Online Liberal Arts Programs in Athens, GA (2026)

Athens, Georgia has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Athens has a population of about 137,582. In Georgia, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $99,600 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Athens

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Athens. Distances are calculated from Athens city center.

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 Athens. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, GA 53.3 miles from Athens BOC Score48.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Atlanta, GA 59.3 miles from Athens BOC Score95.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA 59.9 miles from Athens BOC Score54.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, GA 69.8 miles from Athens BOC Score58.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

Furman University

Greenville, SC 85.7 miles from Athens BOC Score74.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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


Liberal Arts Wages Near Athens

Athens is part of the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area (BLS area code 12020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Georgia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist$57,600Athens-Clarke County, GA$61,736
Management Analyst$99,600GA statewide$106,752
Technical Writer$73,070GA statewide$78,317
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist$81,910GA statewide$87,792
Editor$76,650GA statewide$82,154
Training and Development Specialist$59,530Athens-Clarke County, GA$63,805
Human Resources Specialist$57,330Athens-Clarke County, GA$61,447

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.


Athens at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)93.3 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Athens-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Athens, GA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Athens. The closest is University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, GA (53.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Furman University (85.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Athens are: Management Analyst ($99,600), News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist ($81,910), Editor ($76,650). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Georgia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Winder instead of Athens?

Winder, GA is 20.4 miles from Athens 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.

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 Athens

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

Data verified: June 11, 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.