Watsonville, California has 9 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $7,583 to $67,778 per year for indexed programs. Watsonville has a population of about 51,968. Median household income is $74,785 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 12.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, the top-earning computer engineering-related role is Electronics Engineer at a median $182,840 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Computer Engineering Schools to Watsonville
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer computer engineering programs near Watsonville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Watsonville 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 Watsonville.
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 Watsonville
Watsonville 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) |
|---|
| Computer Hardware Engineer | $169,370 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $154,113 |
| Electronics Engineer | $182,840 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $166,369 |
| Software Developer | $156,910 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $142,775 |
| Computer Network Architect | $158,870 | CA statewide | $144,559 |
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.
Watsonville at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 51,968 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $74,785 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 12.7% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 109.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Watsonville-Area Cities With Computer Engineering Programs
- Gilroy, CA – 11.8 mi away (111,004 pop)
- Santa Cruz, CA – 15.1 mi away (176,037 pop)
- Morgan Hill, CA – 16.3 mi away (44,155 pop)
- Marina, CA – 16.6 mi away (21,688 pop)
- Salinas, CA – 17.8 mi away (193,126 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited computer engineering schools are near Watsonville, CA?
Our directory has 9 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs near Watsonville. The closest is University of California-Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, CA (16.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Merced (80.3 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying computer engineering roles near Watsonville?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying computer engineering-related roles near Watsonville are: Electronics Engineer ($182,840), Computer Hardware Engineer ($169,370), Computer Network Architect ($158,870). 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 Gilroy instead of Watsonville?
Gilroy, CA is 11.8 miles from Watsonville 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 Watsonville an affordable place to study computer engineering?
Watsonville’s median household income of $74,785 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Watsonville 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 Watsonville
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Watsonville:
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- Kinesiology programs in Watsonville, CA
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- Education programs in Watsonville, CA
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- Accounting programs in Watsonville, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Watsonville, CA
- Social Work programs in Watsonville, CA
- Counseling programs in Watsonville, 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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