Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Chapel Hill, NC (2026)

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

Chapel Hill, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Chapel Hill has a population of about 59,889. Median household income is $85,825 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 77.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $126,110 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Chapel Hill

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

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 1.3 miles from Chapel Hill
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
91.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,200
Avg net price $11,655/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Liberal Arts Wages Near Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area (BLS area code 20500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist $76,970 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $78,863
Management Analyst $126,110 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $129,211
Technical Writer $94,520 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $96,844
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $58,670 NC statewide $60,113
Editor $80,410 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $82,387
Training and Development Specialist $74,530 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $76,363
Human Resources Specialist $81,100 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $83,094

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.

Chapel Hill at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 59,889 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $85,825 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 77.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 97.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Orange County 196 workers, 57 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Chapel Hill-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Chapel Hill, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Chapel Hill. The closest is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC (1.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Alamance Community College (20.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Chapel Hill?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Chapel Hill are: Management Analyst ($126,110), Technical Writer ($94,520), Human Resources Specialist ($81,100). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Carrboro instead of Chapel Hill?

Carrboro, NC is 2.7 miles from Chapel Hill 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 Chapel Hill an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Chapel Hill’s median household income of $85,825 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chapel Hill while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Chapel Hill

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

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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