Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Salisbury, NC (2026)

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

Salisbury, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $18,296 to $28,305 per year for indexed programs. Salisbury has a population of about 35,730. Median household income is $51,058 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.9% 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 Salisbury

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

Livingstone College

Salisbury, NC 0.5 miles from Salisbury
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
35.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 59%
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,600
Avg net price $13,479/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,296
Out‑of‑state$18,296
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 15

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

#2

Catawba College

Salisbury, NC 1.8 miles from Salisbury
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,793
Avg net price $17,879/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

Salisbury, NC 1.9 miles from Salisbury
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,936
Avg net price $7,981/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 38

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 Salisbury

Salisbury 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.

Salisbury at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 35,730 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $51,058 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 26.9% 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 Rowan County 187 workers, 28 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Salisbury-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Salisbury. The closest is Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC (0.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pfeiffer University (17.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Salisbury 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 Kannapolis instead of Salisbury?

Kannapolis, NC is 15.5 miles from Salisbury 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 Salisbury an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Salisbury’s median household income of $51,058 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Salisbury 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 Salisbury

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

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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