Best Online Liberal Arts Programs in Norfolk, VA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Norfolk, Virginia has 2 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $62,600 to $77,290 per year for indexed programs. Norfolk has a population of about 235,037. Median household income is $64,017 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $101,380 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Norfolk

The 2 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 2 schools in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Norfolk. Distances are calculated from Norfolk city center.

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 Norfolk. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

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Published tuition$62,600 - $77,290

Online programsYes

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

Liberal Arts Wages Near Norfolk

Norfolk is part of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area (BLS area code 47260). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist	$73,890	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$75,475
Management Analyst	$101,380	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$103,555
Technical Writer	$79,340	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$81,042
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist	$47,160	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$48,172
Editor	$59,570	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$60,848
Training and Development Specialist	$74,470	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$76,067
Human Resources Specialist	$76,240	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$77,875

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.

Norfolk at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	235,037	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$64,017	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	32.7%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	97.9 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Norfolk (city) County	907 workers, 36 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Norfolk-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Portsmouth, VA – 6.2 mi away (95,252 pop)
Hampton, VA – 12.5 mi away (135,410 pop)
Chesapeake, VA – 15.2 mi away (237,940 pop)
Virginia Beach, VA – 16.3 mi away (1,487,505 pop)
Newport News, VA – 20.4 mi away (181,825 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Norfolk, VA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Norfolk. The closest is Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA (79.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Richmond (84.8 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Norfolk are: Management Analyst ($101,380), Technical Writer ($79,340), Human Resources Specialist ($76,240). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Portsmouth instead of Norfolk?

Portsmouth, VA is 6.2 miles from Norfolk 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 Norfolk an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Norfolk’s median household income of $64,017 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Norfolk while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia 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 Norfolk

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

Data verified: June 11, 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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