Raleigh, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Raleigh has a population of about 470,763. Median household income is $82,424 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 52.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $96,820 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Raleigh
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Raleigh, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Raleigh 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Raleigh.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,643
Avg net price
$21,649/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 68%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,539
Avg net price
$22,488/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,758
Avg net price
$17,303/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 152
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,409
Avg net price
$16,512/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 54%
- Programs offered: 23
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$41,769
Avg net price
$8,759/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina liberal arts page.
Liberal Arts Wages Near Raleigh
Raleigh is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area (BLS area code 39580). 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 |
$68,790 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC |
$70,051 |
| Management Analyst |
$96,820 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC |
$98,595 |
| Technical Writer |
$93,580 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC |
$95,295 |
| News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist |
$59,950 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC |
$61,049 |
| Editor |
$76,360 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC |
$77,760 |
| Training and Development Specialist |
$67,560 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC |
$68,798 |
| Human Resources Specialist |
$74,170 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC |
$75,530 |
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.
Raleigh at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
470,763 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$82,424 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
52.9% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
98.2 (below U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
| Liberal Arts-related employment in Wake County |
3,240 workers, 289 establishments |
BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Raleigh-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs
- Garner, NC – 9.6 mi away (28,776 pop)
- Cary, NC – 10.3 mi away (162,320 pop)
- Morrisville, NC – 10.7 mi away (24,732 pop)
- Wake Forest, NC – 11.6 mi away (40,112 pop)
- Apex, NC – 14.5 mi away (47,349 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Raleigh, NC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Raleigh. The closest is William Peace University in Raleigh, NC (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (12.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Raleigh?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Raleigh are: Management Analyst ($96,820), Technical Writer ($93,580), Editor ($76,360). 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 Garner instead of Raleigh?
Garner, NC is 9.6 miles from Raleigh 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 Raleigh an affordable place to study liberal arts?
Raleigh’s median household income of $82,424 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Raleigh 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 Raleigh
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Raleigh:
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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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