Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Lancaster, TX (2026)

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

Lancaster, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $25,064 to $34,504 per year for indexed programs. Lancaster has a population of about 40,753. Median household income is $67,584 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $102,860 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Lancaster

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

Dallas, TX 5.0 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Avg net price $6,420/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Paul Quinn College

Dallas, TX 6.1 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
30.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,288
Avg net price $12,709/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Dallas College

Dallas, TX 12.1 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,714
Avg net price $3,214/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 90

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Dallas Baptist University

Dallas, TX 13.0 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
43.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,807
Avg net price $28,516/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Nelson University

Waxahachie, TX 13.8 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
42.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 89%
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,238
Avg net price $21,662/yr
Tuition
In‑state$25,064
Out‑of‑state$25,064
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 38

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

#6

Criswell College

Dallas, TX 13.9 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
38.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,185
Avg net price $21,630/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Dallas Theological Seminary

Dallas, TX 14.0 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX 17.4 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
73.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 63%
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,354
Avg net price $40,892/yr
Tuition
In‑state$67,040
Out‑of‑state$67,040
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 105

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 Lancaster

Lancaster is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (BLS area code 19100). 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 $69,280 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $67,197
Management Analyst $102,860 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $99,767
Technical Writer $86,520 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $83,919
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $56,000 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $54,316
Editor $45,950 TX statewide $44,568
Training and Development Specialist $71,010 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $68,875
Human Resources Specialist $70,700 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $68,574

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.

Lancaster at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 40,753 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,584 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 25.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.1 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Dallas County 6,207 workers, 417 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Lancaster-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Lancaster. The closest is University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, TX (5.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Nelson University (13.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Lancaster are: Management Analyst ($102,860), Technical Writer ($86,520), Training and Development Specialist ($71,010). 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 DeSoto instead of Lancaster?

DeSoto, TX is 5.2 miles from Lancaster 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 Lancaster an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Lancaster’s median household income of $67,584 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lancaster 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 Lancaster

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

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)