Best Cybersecurity Schools Near Santa Cruz, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santa Cruz, California has 5 accredited schools offering cybersecurity 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 cybersecurity-related role is Computer and Information Systems Manager at a median $198,770 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Cybersecurity Schools to Santa Cruz

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer cybersecurity 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.

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 Cruz. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 26.9 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey, CA 27.8 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA 202.2 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
24.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,291
Avg net price $14,621/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Shasta College

Redding, CA 252.4 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,269
Avg net price $2,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA 257.9 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,044
Avg net price $-2,296/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Los Angeles Mission College

Sylmar, CA 274.0 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
38.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,834
Avg net price $13,380/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Los Angeles Valley College

Valley Glen, CA 280.6 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
42.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,678
Avg net price $12,152/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, CA 290.4 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,537
Avg net price $9,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Cybersecurity 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)
Information Security Analyst $138,570 CA statewide $126,087
Network and Computer Systems Administrator $118,810 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $108,107
Computer Network Architect $158,870 CA statewide $144,559
Computer Systems Analyst $124,450 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $113,239
Computer and Information Systems Manager $198,770 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $180,864
Computer Network Support Specialist $102,980 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $93,703
Computer User Support Specialist $75,720 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $68,899

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
Cybersecurity-related employment in Santa Cruz County 820 workers, 157 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santa Cruz-Area Cities With Cybersecurity Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited cybersecurity schools are near Santa Cruz, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering cybersecurity programs near Santa Cruz. The closest is Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA (6.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Foothill College (26.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying cybersecurity roles near Santa Cruz?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying cybersecurity-related roles near Santa Cruz are: Computer and Information Systems Manager ($198,770), Computer Network Architect ($158,870), Information Security Analyst ($138,570). 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 cybersecurity 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 cybersecurity?

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 Cybersecurity Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Cruz

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

Data verified: September 6, 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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