Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Matthews, NC (2026)

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

Matthews, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $21,300 to $34,923 per year for indexed programs. Matthews has a population of about 29,959. Median household income is $105,579 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $102,920 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Matthews

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

Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte, NC 8.5 miles from Matthews
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,673
Avg net price $30,857/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Charlotte, NC 11.2 miles from Matthews
  • 4 year
52.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,418
Avg net price $27,426/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Johnson C Smith University

Charlotte, NC 11.9 miles from Matthews
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
33.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 45%
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,680
Avg net price $20,894/yr
Tuition
In‑state$21,300
Out‑of‑state$21,300
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 18

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

#4

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, NC 12.9 miles from Matthews
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,289
Avg net price $15,435/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 122

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Wingate University

Wingate, NC 17.7 miles from Matthews
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,649
Avg net price $20,748/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Belmont Abbey College

Belmont, NC 21.1 miles from Matthews
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,937
Avg net price $24,639/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

Concord, NC 23.0 miles from Matthews
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
79.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,708
Avg net price $17,618/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Davidson College

Davidson, NC 27.3 miles from Matthews
  • 4 year
78.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $81,400
Avg net price $17,379/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Liberal Arts Wages Near Matthews

Matthews is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (BLS area code 16740). 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 $75,190 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $77,276
Management Analyst $102,920 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $105,776
Technical Writer $82,610 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $84,902
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $61,360 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $63,063
Editor $77,730 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $79,887
Training and Development Specialist $68,480 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $70,380
Human Resources Specialist $78,330 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $80,504

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.

Matthews at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 29,959 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $105,579 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 53.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 97.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Mecklenburg County 5,283 workers, 405 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Matthews-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Matthews. The closest is Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, NC (8.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of North Carolina at Charlotte (12.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Matthews are: Management Analyst ($102,920), Technical Writer ($82,610), Human Resources Specialist ($78,330). 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 Indian Trail instead of Matthews?

Indian Trail, NC is 5.0 miles from Matthews 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 Matthews an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Matthews’s median household income of $105,579 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Matthews 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 Matthews

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

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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