Best Computer Engineering Schools Near Santa Monica, CA (2026)

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

Santa Monica, California has 17 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $72,097 per year for indexed programs. Santa Monica has a population of about 91,535. Median household income is $109,739 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 68.9% 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 Santa Monica

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer computer engineering programs near Santa Monica, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 26.6 miles from Santa Monica BOC Score 86.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

DeVry University-California

Ontario, CA 51.3 miles from Santa Monica BOC Score 36.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,987
Avg net price $33,744/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

San Diego City College

San Diego, CA 118.3 miles from Santa Monica BOC Score 42.0
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,503
Avg net price $7,935/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,146
Out‑of‑state$10,002
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California computer engineering page.

Computer Engineering Wages Near Santa Monica

Santa Monica 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Computer Hardware Engineer$158,530Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$139,551
Electronics Engineer$140,530Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$123,706
Software Developer$160,920Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$141,655
Computer Network Architect$147,510Los 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.

Santa Monica at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population91,535Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$109,739Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+68.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Monica-Area Cities With Computer Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited computer engineering schools are near Santa Monica, CA?

Our directory has 17 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs near Santa Monica. The closest is University of California-Los Angeles in Los Angeles, CA (4.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is DeVry University-California (51.3 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying computer engineering roles near Santa Monica?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying computer engineering-related roles near Santa Monica 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 Culver City instead of Santa Monica?

Culver City, CA is 5.0 miles from Santa Monica 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 Monica an affordable place to study computer engineering?

Santa Monica’s median household income of $109,739 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Monica 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 Monica

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

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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