Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Hickory, NC (2026)

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

Hickory, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $31,900 to $44,621 per year for indexed programs. Hickory has a population of about 43,747. Median household income is $63,361 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In North Carolina, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Technical Writer at a median $86,320 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Hickory

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Hickory, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Hickory 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 Hickory. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Acceptance rate 85%

Graduation rate 49%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,543

Avg net price $20,689/yr

Tuition

In‑state$31,900

Out‑of‑state$31,900

Contact

625 7th Avenue NE Hickory, NC 28601
(828) 328-1741
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 73%
Programs offered: 57

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDS College Scorecard

Graduation rate 34%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,977

Avg net price $10,528/yr

TuitionContact school for pricing

Contact

2550 Hwy 70 SE Hickory, NC 28602-0699
(828) 327-7000
Visit website

Key stats

Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDS College Scorecard

Liberal Arts Wages Near Hickory

Hickory is part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area (BLS area code 25860). 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	$58,270	Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	$65,842
Management Analyst	$76,990	Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	$86,994
Technical Writer	$86,320	NC statewide	$97,537
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist	$58,670	NC statewide	$66,294
Editor	$73,740	NC statewide	$83,322
Training and Development Specialist	$56,300	Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	$63,616
Human Resources Specialist	$64,700	Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	$73,107

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.

Hickory at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	43,747	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$63,361	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	35.9%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	88.5 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Catawba County	257 workers, 35 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Hickory-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Lincolnton, NC – 19.1 mi away (23,264 pop)
Statesville, NC – 25.5 mi away (26,506 pop)
Mooresville, NC – 30.0 mi away (36,543 pop)
Cornelius, NC – 30.9 mi away (28,515 pop)
Shelby, NC – 33.7 mi away (27,288 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Hickory, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Hickory. The closest is Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, NC (0.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Mitchell Community College (24.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Hickory are: Technical Writer ($86,320), Management Analyst ($76,990), Editor ($73,740). 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 Lincolnton instead of Hickory?

Lincolnton, NC is 19.1 miles from Hickory 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 Hickory an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Hickory’s median household income of $63,361 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Hickory 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 Hickory

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

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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