Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Lexington, SC (2026)

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

Lexington, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Lexington has a population of about 24,132. Median household income is $83,263 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Columbia, SC metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $93,250 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Lexington

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

Columbia International University

Columbia, SC 10.3 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,951
Avg net price $26,036/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC 11.1 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,177
Avg net price $22,811/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 165

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Allen University

Columbia, SC 11.6 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $30,497
Avg net price $10,972/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Benedict College

Columbia, SC 11.6 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
16.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,902
Avg net price $18,250/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Columbia College

Columbia, SC 11.6 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
37.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,338
Avg net price $18,408/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Newberry College

Newberry, SC 30.8 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
42.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,040
Avg net price $21,656/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Claflin University

Orangeburg, SC 39.8 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,304
Avg net price $17,800/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, SC 40.0 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
29.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,262
Avg net price $18,097/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 42

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 Lexington

Lexington is part of the Columbia, SC metro area (BLS area code 17900). 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 $61,610 Columbia, SC $65,752
Management Analyst $93,250 Columbia, SC $99,520
Technical Writer $77,640 Columbia, SC $82,860
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $49,450 Columbia, SC $52,775
Editor $67,530 Columbia, SC $72,070
Training and Development Specialist $61,460 Columbia, SC $65,592
Human Resources Specialist $67,990 Columbia, SC $72,561

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.

Lexington at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 24,132 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $83,263 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 48.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Lexington County 113 workers, 33 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Lexington-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Lexington. The closest is Midlands Technical College in West Columbia, SC (6.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Benedict College (11.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Lexington are: Management Analyst ($93,250), Technical Writer ($77,640), Human Resources Specialist ($67,990). 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 Columbia instead of Lexington?

Columbia, SC is 18.4 miles from Lexington 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 Lexington an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Lexington’s median household income of $83,263 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lexington 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 Lexington

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

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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