Santa Barbara, California has 7 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $7,458 to $72,097 per year for indexed programs. Santa Barbara has a population of about 88,024. Median household income is $101,672 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, the top-earning computer engineering-related role is Software Developer at a median $158,290 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Computer Engineering Schools to Santa Barbara
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer computer engineering programs near Santa Barbara, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara.
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 Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is part of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area (BLS area code 42200). 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 | $148,440 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $136,434 |
| Electronics Engineer | $135,810 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $124,825 |
| Software Developer | $158,290 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $145,487 |
| Computer Network Architect | $128,990 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $118,557 |
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 Barbara at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 88,024 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $101,672 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 50.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 108.8 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Santa Barbara-Area Cities With Computer Engineering Programs
- Goleta, CA – 8.0 mi away (30,850 pop)
- Oxnard, CA – 34.7 mi away (385,837 pop)
- Port Hueneme, CA – 34.8 mi away (22,277 pop)
- Santa Paula, CA – 37.5 mi away (30,770 pop)
- Camarillo, CA – 41.7 mi away (74,152 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited computer engineering schools are near Santa Barbara, CA?
Our directory has 7 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs near Santa Barbara. The closest is University of California-Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, CA (7.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Southern California (86.7 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying computer engineering roles near Santa Barbara?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying computer engineering-related roles near Santa Barbara are: Software Developer ($158,290), Computer Hardware Engineer ($148,440), Electronics Engineer ($135,810). 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 Goleta instead of Santa Barbara?
Goleta, CA is 8.0 miles from Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara an affordable place to study computer engineering?
Santa Barbara’s median household income of $101,672 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Santa Barbara:
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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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