Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Friendswood, TX (2026)

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

Friendswood, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $2,490 to $21,293 per year for indexed programs. Friendswood has a population of about 40,827. Median household income is $125,052 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 49.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $101,120 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Friendswood

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

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Houston, TX 7.8 miles from Friendswood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,004
Avg net price $15,563/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Alvin Community College

Alvin, TX 8.3 miles from Friendswood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,762
Avg net price $8,525/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

San Jacinto Community College

Pasadena, TX 11.5 miles from Friendswood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
54.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,062
Avg net price $12,143/yr
Tuition
In‑state$2,490
Out‑of‑state$6,690
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71

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

#4

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX 14.3 miles from Friendswood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,639
Avg net price $1,342/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of Houston

Houston, TX 16.9 miles from Friendswood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,377
Avg net price $14,276/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 150

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Texas Southern University

Houston, TX 17.5 miles from Friendswood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,924
Avg net price $16,590/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, TX 18.1 miles from Friendswood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
96.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $88,757
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Rice University

Houston, TX 18.8 miles from Friendswood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
93.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 8%
Graduation rate 95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,718
Avg net price $13,370/yr
Tuition
In‑state$64,144
Out‑of‑state$64,144
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 78

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

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

Liberal Arts Wages Near Friendswood

Friendswood is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist $68,320 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $69,290
Management Analyst $101,120 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $102,556
Technical Writer $87,360 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $88,600
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $50,300 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $51,014
Editor $29,040 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $29,452
Training and Development Specialist $62,630 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $63,519
Human Resources Specialist $72,550 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $73,580

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.

Friendswood at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 40,827 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $125,052 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 49.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Galveston County 1,032 workers, 37 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Friendswood-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Friendswood, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Friendswood. The closest is University of Houston-Clear Lake in Houston, TX (7.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Houston (16.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Friendswood are: Management Analyst ($101,120), Technical Writer ($87,360), Human Resources Specialist ($72,550). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in League City instead of Friendswood?

League City, TX is 5.6 miles from Friendswood 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 Friendswood an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Friendswood’s median household income of $125,052 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Friendswood while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Friendswood

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

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.

Back to Best Liberal Arts Schools in Texas: Online Programs (2026)