Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Paterson, NJ (2026)

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

Paterson, New Jersey has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $39,300 to $50,316 per year for indexed programs. Paterson has a population of about 157,660. Median household income is $53,766 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 12.5% 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 Paterson

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

Passaic County Community College

Paterson, NJ 0.4 miles from Paterson
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
38.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,972
Avg net price $7,761/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Liberal Arts Wages Near Paterson

Paterson 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.

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

Paterson at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 157,660 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $53,766 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 12.5% 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 Passaic County 185 workers, 44 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Paterson-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Paterson. The closest is Passaic County Community College in Paterson, NJ (0.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Felician University (4.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Paterson 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 Elmwood Park instead of Paterson?

Elmwood Park, NJ is 2.3 miles from Paterson 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 Paterson an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Paterson’s median household income of $53,766 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Paterson 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 Paterson

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

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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