Costa Mesa, California has 19 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $72,097 per year for indexed programs. Costa Mesa has a population of about 110,538. Median household income is $110,073 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning computer engineering-related role is Software Developer at a median $160,920 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Computer Engineering Schools to Costa Mesa
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer computer engineering programs near Costa Mesa, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Costa Mesa 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Costa Mesa.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
46%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,403
Avg net price
$10,440/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,987
Avg net price
$33,744/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 60%
- Programs offered: 16
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,503
Avg net price
$7,935/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,146
Out‑of‑state$10,002
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California computer engineering page.
Computer Engineering Wages Near Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). 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) |
|---|
| Computer Hardware Engineer | $158,530 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $139,551 |
| Electronics Engineer | $140,530 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $123,706 |
| Software Developer | $160,920 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $141,655 |
| Computer Network Architect | $147,510 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $129,850 |
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.
Costa Mesa at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 110,538 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $110,073 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 43.6% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Costa Mesa-Area Cities With Computer Engineering Programs
- Fountain Valley, CA – 3.7 mi away (56,529 pop)
- Newport Beach, CA – 4.5 mi away (86,688 pop)
- Santa Ana, CA – 5.2 mi away (334,217 pop)
- Huntington Beach, CA – 5.5 mi away (200,652 pop)
- Tustin, CA – 7.4 mi away (80,395 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited computer engineering schools are near Costa Mesa, CA?
Our directory has 19 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs near Costa Mesa. The closest is University of California-Irvine in Irvine, CA (4.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Riverside (39.7 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying computer engineering roles near Costa Mesa?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying computer engineering-related roles near Costa Mesa are: Software Developer ($160,920), Computer Hardware Engineer ($158,530), Computer Network Architect ($147,510). 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 Fountain Valley instead of Costa Mesa?
Fountain Valley, CA is 3.7 miles from Costa Mesa and has its own set of local computer engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Costa Mesa an affordable place to study computer engineering?
Costa Mesa’s median household income of $110,073 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Costa Mesa 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 Computer Engineering Programs
Other Programs Available in Costa Mesa
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Costa Mesa:
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- Human Resources programs in Costa Mesa, CA
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- Special Education programs in Costa Mesa, CA
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- Marketing programs in Costa Mesa, CA
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- Kinesiology programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Sports Management programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Costa Mesa, CA
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- Biology programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Communications programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Human Services programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- MBA programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Nursing programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Business Administration programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Computer Science programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Psychology programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Education programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Engineering programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Technology programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Healthcare programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Accounting programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Social Work programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Counseling programs in Costa Mesa, CA
Data verified: August 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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