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Best Online Biology Programs in Santa Cruz, CA (2026)
Santa Cruz, California has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs, with tuition ranging from $16,005 to $50,205 per year for indexed programs. Santa Cruz has a population of about 60,953. Median household income is $111,427 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, the top-earning biology-related role is Medical Scientist at a median $134,060 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Biology Schools to Santa Cruz
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer biology programs near Santa Cruz, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Cruz city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
No school data available.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California biology page.
Biology Wages Near Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area (BLS area code 42100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Scientist | $134,060 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $121,984 |
| Biological Technician | $66,240 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $60,273 |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | $122,170 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $111,165 |
| Soil and Plant Scientist | $91,930 | CA statewide | $83,649 |
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.
Santa Cruz at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 60,953 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $111,427 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 57.7% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 109.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Santa Cruz-Area Cities With Biology Programs
- Watsonville, CA – 15.1 mi away (77,266 pop)
- Los Gatos, CA – 17.9 mi away (30,545 pop)
- Saratoga, CA – 20.0 mi away (30,767 pop)
- Campbell, CA – 21.3 mi away (40,939 pop)
- Cupertino, CA – 23.4 mi away (60,643 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited biology schools are near Santa Cruz, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Santa Cruz. The closest is University of California-Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, CA (0.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Jose City College (24.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying biology roles near Santa Cruz?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles near Santa Cruz are: Medical Scientist ($134,060), Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($122,170), Soil and Plant Scientist ($91,930). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Watsonville instead of Santa Cruz?
Watsonville, CA is 15.1 miles from Santa Cruz and has its own set of local biology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Santa Cruz an affordable place to study biology?
Santa Cruz’s median household income of $111,427 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Cruz while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Biology Programs
- Is a Biology degree worth it?
- Main Biology degree guide
- Online Biology programs in California
- Biology programs by state
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Data verified: August 10, 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.