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Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Kearney, NE (2026)
Updated September 6, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Kearney, Nebraska has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Kearney has a population of about 34,024. Median household income is $69,790 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Nebraska, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $75,360 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Kearney
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Kearney, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Kearney 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:
BOCSCORE
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 Kearney.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Nebraska schools on the Nebraska liberal arts page.
Liberal Arts Wages Near Kearney
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Nebraska, statewide)
Public Relations Specialist
$61,780
Management Analyst
$75,360
Technical Writer
N/A
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist
$40,420
Editor
$46,320
Training and Development Specialist
$65,700
Human Resources Specialist
$61,930
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.
Kearney at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
34,024
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$69,790
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
36.9%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Liberal Arts-related employment in Buffalo County
139 workers, 14 establishments
BLS QCEW 2024 annual
Other Kearney-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs
How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Kearney, NE?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Kearney. The closest is University of Nebraska at Kearney in Kearney, NE (0.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Mid-Plains Community College (92.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles in Nebraska?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles in Nebraska are: Management Analyst ($75,360), Training and Development Specialist ($65,700), Human Resources Specialist ($61,930). Wages for Kearney workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Hastings instead of Kearney?
Hastings, NE is 37.0 miles from Kearney 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 Kearney an affordable place to study liberal arts?
Kearney’s median household income of $69,790 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kearney while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Nebraska 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.
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.
