Best Online Liberal Arts Programs in Elizabeth, NJ (2026)

Elizabeth, New Jersey has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Elizabeth has a population of about 135,887. Median household income is $63,874 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 14.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $124,390 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Elizabeth

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Elizabeth. Distances are calculated from Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, NJ 5.3 miles from Elizabeth BOC Score86.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ

Cranford, NJ 6.6 miles from Elizabeth BOC Score58.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College

New York, NY 10.1 miles from Elizabeth BOC Score60.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

New York, NY 10.3 miles from Elizabeth BOC Score77.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#5

Stevens Institute of Technology

Hoboken, NJ 10.4 miles from Elizabeth BOC Score77.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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


Liberal Arts Wages Near Elizabeth

Elizabeth is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Jersey statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist$84,130New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$74,716
Management Analyst$124,390New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$110,471
Technical Writer$111,050New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$98,623
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist$101,670New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$90,293
Editor$102,120New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$90,693
Training and Development Specialist$79,840New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$70,906
Human Resources Specialist$89,780New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$79,734

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.


Elizabeth at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population135,887Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$63,874Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+14.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)112.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Union County369 workers, 61 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Elizabeth-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Elizabeth, NJ?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Elizabeth. The closest is New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ (5.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Stevens Institute of Technology (10.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Elizabeth are: Management Analyst ($124,390), Technical Writer ($111,050), Editor ($102,120). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Jersey statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Roselle instead of Elizabeth?

Roselle, NJ is 3.7 miles from Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Elizabeth’s median household income of $63,874 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Elizabeth while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Jersey 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 Elizabeth

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

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.