Best Online Liberal Arts Programs in Poughkeepsie, NY (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Poughkeepsie, New York has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Poughkeepsie has a population of about 31,778. Median household income is $60,050 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $102,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Poughkeepsie

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

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

Liberal Arts Wages Near Poughkeepsie

Poughkeepsie is part of the Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY metro area (BLS area code 28880). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New York statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist	$72,390	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$66,170
Management Analyst	$102,190	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$93,410
Technical Writer	$98,310	NY statewide	$89,863
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist	$100,770	NY statewide	$92,112
Editor	$77,130	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$70,503
Training and Development Specialist	$71,700	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$65,539
Human Resources Specialist	$77,840	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$71,152

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.

Poughkeepsie at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	31,778	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$60,050	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	31.5%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	109.4 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Dutchess County	528 workers, 101 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Poughkeepsie-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Newburgh, NY – 14.2 mi away (28,200 pop)
Kingston, NY – 16.7 mi away (55,793 pop)
Kiryas Joel, NY – 27.6 mi away (23,094 pop)
Peekskill, NY – 28.1 mi away (24,053 pop)
Danbury, CT – 30.9 mi away (176,649 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Poughkeepsie, NY?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Poughkeepsie. The closest is Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY (1.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (63.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Poughkeepsie are: Management Analyst ($102,190), News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist ($100,770), Technical Writer ($98,310). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New York statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Newburgh instead of Poughkeepsie?

Newburgh, NY is 14.2 miles from Poughkeepsie 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 Poughkeepsie an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Poughkeepsie’s median household income of $60,050 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Poughkeepsie while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New York 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 Poughkeepsie

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

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.

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