Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Charleston, SC (2026)

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

Charleston, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Charleston has a population of about 152,014. Median household income is $90,038 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $104,650 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Charleston

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

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, SC 1.2 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,085
Avg net price $20,723/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

College of Charleston

Charleston, SC 2.5 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,416
Avg net price $18,960/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Trident Technical College

Charleston, SC 8.8 miles from Charleston
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,253
Avg net price $1,406/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Charleston Southern University

Charleston, SC 13.3 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,898
Avg net price $21,666/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Liberal Arts Wages Near Charleston

Charleston is part of the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area (BLS area code 16700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist $63,780 Charleston-North Charleston, SC $63,149
Management Analyst $104,650 Charleston-North Charleston, SC $103,614
Technical Writer $88,610 Charleston-North Charleston, SC $87,733
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $48,020 Charleston-North Charleston, SC $47,545
Editor $63,370 Charleston-North Charleston, SC $62,743
Training and Development Specialist $70,680 Charleston-North Charleston, SC $69,980
Human Resources Specialist $70,580 Charleston-North Charleston, SC $69,881

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.

Charleston at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 152,014 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $90,038 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 57.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 101.0 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Charleston County 2,105 workers, 205 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Charleston-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Charleston, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Charleston. The closest is Citadel Military College of South Carolina in Charleston, SC (1.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Technical College of the Lowcountry (50.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Charleston are: Management Analyst ($104,650), Technical Writer ($88,610), Training and Development Specialist ($70,680). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Hanahan instead of Charleston?

Hanahan, SC is 8.4 miles from Charleston 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 Charleston an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Charleston’s median household income of $90,038 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Charleston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South 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 Charleston

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

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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